Coastguard join forces to find missing diver in Co Clare

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A renewed search is underway today for a missing cave diver in Co Clare.

The missing man, originally from Eastern Europe, lived in Ireland and is believed to have gone snorkeling at popular beauty spot Ross Bridges on May 3.

The search for Ross Bridges on the Loop Head Peninsula resumed on Saturday morning after being hampered in recent days by rough seas.

Volunteers from the Irish Coast Guard’s Kilkee Unit were joined by a Coast Guard team from Glenderry in County Kerry who launched a drone to search the rugged coastline.

Ballybunion Coast Guard volunteers search the Kerry coast across the Shannon Estuary.

Divers from the Garda Water Unit are expected to return to Clare tomorrow to resume their search.

Kilkee Coast Guard volunteers have been searching the shoreline at low tide since last Sunday when the man’s car was discovered, but since then the sea conditions have been too dangerous to launch boats or deploy divers.

The man’s car was located in the parking lot on Sunday, May 8.

Coast Guard and Gardaí volunteers carried out an initial search of the area last Sunday evening while the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter also joined the effort. The search was called off around 2 a.m. Monday when nothing had been found.

It is now believed that the man’s vehicle may have been there since the previous Tuesday. It is understood his clothes were still in the vehicle but his snorkel gear and underwater scooter were not. It is believed that he went to explore the local sea caves.

Members of the Garda Water Unit arrived last Monday afternoon and searched the rock pools and waters around the base of the cliffs. Volunteers from the Kilkee Sub Aqua Club Search and Recovery Unit joined the search later today and are due to join the operation this afternoon.

Members of the Irish Cave Rescue Organization (ICRO) also took part in the search.

Kilkee Coast Guard volunteers continued to search at low water while the crew of Rescue 115 carried out searches along the coast during the week.

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