KEY POINTS:
The search for a diver missing off the Timaru coast since Monday has been suspended after intensive search efforts failed to find him.
Two rescue helicopters, an aircraft and several vessels were looking for Blenheim dive shop owner Kevin Bailey, 63, after he was reported missing about 2.30pm on Monday while diving on the wreck of the Holmglen - about 20 nautical miles (36km) off the Timaru coast.
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) search and rescue officer Keith Allen said today the difficult decision to suspend the search had been made after an extremely thorough search of a 900sq km area around the wreck that turned up no sign of Mr Bailey.
"Taking into account the wide area covered by the search, the temperature of the water, and the time that has now elapsed, it is considered the search has continued past the point where anyone could reasonably be expected to be found alive," he said.
Mr Allen thanked all who had been involved in the search.
Mr Bailey got into difficulty ascending from the wreck of the Holmglen off South Canterbury.
The Timaru Herald reported Mr Bailey had been diving with two companions, one also from Blenheim and the other from Dunedin.
Mid and South Canterbury area Police Inspector Dave Gaskin said interviews with Mr Bailey's diving companions indicated he had got into difficulty ascending.
By the time the others noticed he was having problems, they were not able to go to his assistance due to decompression requirements.
Mr Gaskin said police were told Mr Bailey had always wanted to dive on the Holmglen.
The dive is considered a challenging one, with the ship at 63m, more than double the depth of many wrecks used by recreational divers, and restricted to divers using mixed gases.
Mr Bailey is the owner and manager of a Blenheim dive shop and has been diving recreationally since the late 1960s and professionally since 1988.
- NZPA
