Divers answer call and join the search
South-east winds were due to blow up to force 5 or 6 today, making diving conditions at the mouth of Glandore Harbour more dangerous.
More than 350 personnel took part in the massive search for skipper Michael Hayes, 52, a father of five from Helvick Head in Co Waterford, and Egyptian Saied Mohammed, 24, who remain missing since their trawler, the Tit Bonhomme sank near Adam’s Island at the mouth of the bay on Jan 15.
An overwhelming response to an appeal from the skippers wife, Caitlín Ní Aodha saw dozens of dive teams and volunteers turned away, while more than 100 divers conducted a grid search of a mile long triangular debris field from the wreck at Adam’s Island to Sheila’s Point at the mouth of the harbour and back to Long Point on the eastern inner harbour.
On Saturday, 77 volunteer divers from all over Ireland joined the search, co-ordinated by John Kearney, owner of the Baltimore Dive Centre, who located the body of Wael Mohammed last Sunday. Divers travelled from Dublin, Sligo, Kilkenny, Limerick and all over Cork to join the search.
The scale of the search could set a new precedent in future operations as co-ordinated efforts between volunteer groups and search and rescue crews passed off smoothly, though yielded no results.
“The amazing thing this weekend is we had all groups here and we had the various agencies, including individual and commercial divers. For that to happen at this level, certainly the authorities will have to look at that as an important asset in future searches,” Mr Kearney said.
He was the last diver out of the water last night.
“What ground we covered was tremendous and we covered every inch of it. It was the most comprehensive large search ever completed. I’m proud of all the divers from the four corners of this country, the effort they put in and how they fell joined in a co-ordinated fashion.
“It was better than anything I have ever seen. To be truthful its very moving. Everyone put in a massive effort,” he said.
A number of volunteer dive teams have committed to return to Union Hall next weekend.
Conditions were good over the weekend, though the water temperature dropped from 10°C on Saturday to 9°C yesterday.
Ruben O’Leary and Michael Daly, members of Cork Fire Brigade, arrived in Union Hall early on Saturday after completing a night shift on duty.
They conducted four two-hour dives over two days, following a line of debris that yielded personal items including a donor card and a €50 note.
“I heard the call out, that’s why I’m here, to get these men back to their families,” Mr O’ Leary said.
“Conditions were ideal both days, but the forecast is for it to blow up a little tonight so conditions won’t be as good tomorrow. We want to get as much done today before that changes.”
Divers searched outwards from a buoy line to a length of 50 metres.
“It’s incredibly well organised, it means we comprehensively covered every inch of the area each diver was assigned to,” said Mr O’Leary.
A group of 17 kayakers left Glandore pier at 9am yesterday. They were towed out to the mouth of the harbour and conducted searches of High and Low Islands in the outer bay right into the village of Leap. David O’Hara from Sligo joined the search on a paddle board, with a camera attached to the underside. A separate search was co-ordinated from the local GAA club.
On the pier, volunteers delivered 3,500 cups of soup over the weekend. Meals were delivered from as far away as Limerick.
The search is due to continue today, on a scaled down version as coastguard and Civil Defence teams maintain their presence, though diving conditions are unlikely to be favourable for garda, navy and volunteer divers.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
