JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville has suspended its search operations Monday for missing diver Jim Evans.
The search began 30 nautical miles east of Daytona Beach on Friday.
By Monday evening, the Coast Guard and other agencies searched about 5,297 square nautical miles of ocean during 100 hours.
“This afternoon I have made the decision to suspend the search for Mr. Jim Evans,” said Capt. Mark Vlaun, Commander, Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville. “The Coast Guard and our partners extend our deepest condolences to the Evans family, who remain in our thoughts and prayers during this exceptionally difficult time.”
Just before noon on Friday, a center console dive vessel first told the Coast Guard that Evans had been missing.
A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Ponce de Loen Inlet boatcrew and an Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew launched the three-day search for Evans.
“I am incredibly thankful for the outpouring of support in the Daytona Beach community and for all the volunteers, from Jacksonville to Cape Canaveral, who took to the sea throughout this search effort," said Vlaun. "I am indebted to our many mission partners: Florida Fish and Wildlife, Customs and Border Patrol Air and Marine Operations, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, and Seminole County Sheriff’s Office who contributed to the search."
Coast Guard assets involved in the search include:
- MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Air Station Clearwater
- HC-130 Hercules airplane aircrew from Air Station Clearwater
- A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Ponce de Leon Inlet
- Coast Guard Cutter Heron
- Coast Guard Cutter Skipjack
Evans is a respected lawyer and loving father, according to a report from the Daytona Beach News Journal.