Police dive squad to search for wreck

The skipper of missing fishing boat, Kevin Cosgrove. Photo / Supplied

The police dive squad is expected to arrive in Southland tomorrow and attempt to find the wrecked Governor fishing vessel on Tuesday, police say.

The boat and two on board went missing on September 15 off the coast of Fiordland, but poor weather has hampered efforts by divers to reach the wreckage.

The bodies of Governor skipper Kevin Cosgrove, of Dobson, and his 16-year-old crewman, Nirvana Reynolds, have still not been found after the boat sank near Yates Point.

Sergeant Ian Martin said the police dive squad hoped to find evidence of the vessel on Tuesday.

Because the wreck was lying in 50m of water, the dive squad would not be able to reach it but would use sonar and a remote observation vehicle to search the wreckage on the sea floor.

There was no official search for the men's bodies or the boat, but fishing vessels in the area were keeping a close eye out, Mr Martin said.

A police spokeswoman said it was not known if the men were wearing lifejackets at the time the vessel went down, but at the time the sea conditions "would have been challenging, even for a strong swimmer".