Search for missing diver resumes

A massive search for a diver who went missing while looking for the lost captain of a lobster boat off the coast of Wexford resumed today amid bad weather conditions.

It is now feared the capsizing of the fishing boat, Rising Sun, on Tuesday off the Wexford coast may have claimed the lives of two people on board and the search diver.

One of two civilian divers, Billy O’Connor, failed to return from a dive to look for the body of skipper of the capsized vessel, Patrick Colfer, 37, from Slade.

The other diver lost visual contact during the dive at 3.25pm yesterday with his colleague when he was coming up, just seven metres from the surface.

The two men, who were both experienced divers, managed to confirm that the wreck off the Great Saltee Island was the Rising Sun and that the body of Mr Colfer was not inside.

The coast guard operation has already resumed searching south of the Saltee Islands and along the coast between Carnsore Point and Fethard.

“Conditions are not good down there this morning. We have seas over two metres, we have strong winds, visibility is improving now as it gets bright. We had to curtail the search after three o’clock this morning after heavy rain and bad search conditions,” Eamonn Torpay, search and rescue manager with the Irish Coastguard, said.

“It is two separate incidents but it is one big search because the search area is almost the same.

“We use search computer systems equipment to predict the search area, the two search areas would be the same almost now. So we are searching for tragically missing Pat Colfer and now diver Billy O’Connor.”

The search operation for the missing diver and skipper involves the LE Eimear naval ship, a search and rescue helicopter from Waterford Airport, the Rosslare coastguard lifeboat and the Kilmore Quay lifeboat.

On the sub-aqua diver going missing yesterday, Mr Torpay told RTE Radio: “The dive that took place yesterday tragically was not part of the search and rescue operation, and indeed was advised against.

“We are not in a position to say what happened because that will be part of the investigation.

“Weather conditions were not good yesterday down on the scene our incident manager advised it would be inadvisable to search and the naval service were not in a position to search yesterday because of the conditions.”

The 26-foot Rising Sun went down in 52m of water at 3.30pm on Tuesday. Although captain Patrick Colfer was not found, two other men on board were rescued about seven hours later by local fishermen and taken to Wexford General Hospital.

But Jimmy Meyler, a father-of-four in his late 40s, was pronounced dead on arrival and his funeral will take place today. Ian Tierney, 26, was rushed to Wexford General Hospital but has been discharged.

A full investigation has been launched by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board.

It is understood the men had been taking in lobster pots on the Rising Sun near Carnsore Point when it went down.