Hunt continues for Romanian diver gone missing in Phuket seas

Phuket officials are continuing to search for a Romanian national who reportedly did not surface after diving near Koh Kaew Nok island on Sunday.

Sebastian Emil Somesan, 46, had dived down to a depth of about 30 metres to free a snagged anchor of his speedboat.

Somesan along with fellow Romanian Alexandru Florin Miron and Thai woman Saowalak Kanhawong had pulled out of Nai Harn Beach on his speedboat “Shonica” on Sunday.

His friends said they dropped anchor about 100 metres from the shore, but when they wanted to move on and found the anchor stuck, Somesan decided to dive down to free it. However, he did not resurface after the anchor was released.

Miron and Saowalak looked around for the missing man before calling emergency services.

Hunt continues for Romanian diver gone missing in Phuket seas

A search was immediately launched for the missing man, with Rawai mayor Aroon Solos joining provincial agencies such as the Third Naval Area Command, marine police and Kusoldham Phuket Foundation.

A command centre has also been set up at Ya Nui Beach for the missing man’s friends and relatives to contact local officials.

Hunt continues for Romanian diver gone missing in Phuket seas

A leader of the Kusoldham Phuket Foundation’s diving team said on Tuesday the search had to be called off on Monday due to poor visibility and strong tides.

“There’s a 20-30% possibility that the missing man will be found,” the leader said, adding that there is a possibility that strong currents will have swept him away.

Hunt continues for Romanian diver gone missing in Phuket seas