Search for missing fishermen forced to turn back

The dive squad's Blue Arrow - a Coastguard vessel - had to turn back to Akaroa this morning. Photo / Supplied

A police dive squad involved in the effort to retrieve the FV Jubilee and its missing crew has been forced to turn back because of a mechanical issue on their own boat.

Five members of the NZ Police Dive Squad, based in Wellington, were heading to the site where search teams located the missing Jubilee last night, sitting on the seabed 40m below surface.

The boat and its crew were caught up in a storm in the early hours of yesterday morning and made a mayday call at about 4.30am.

The dive squad's Blue Arrow - a Coastguard vessel - had to turn back to Akaroa this morning because of the unforseen mechanical issue.

They could not go back out in time because no other suitable vessels were available and choppy weather conditions were also being forecast.

The Jubilee sent out a distress call at 4.30 yesterday morning.

Inspector Craig McKay said: "Unfortunately there are no other suitable vessels in the area that could take the dive team and their radial sonar onto site before nightfall and the arrival of a predicted weather change later this afternoon.

"The safety of those involved in the recovery phase is paramount and the deteriorating forecast for the next three days is for variable winds and big swells which would be too dangerous to deploy equipment to divers.''