Navy divers prepare to search for men

Navy divers are preparing their first dive today in a continuation of the search to find the bodies of the two men missing off…

Navy divers are preparing their first dive today in a continuation of the search to find the bodies of the two men missing off the Wexford coast.

Two of the crew of the capsized fishing vessel Rising Sunwere rescued last Tuesday night, but, the boat's skipper, Pat Colfer, has not been found.

Another man, Billy O'Connor, an experienced diver and former vice-president of the Irish Underwater Council, went missing following a dive around the wreck of the Rising Sunlast Thursday. The Rising Sunis submerged under 50 metres of water.

Yesterday senior Irish Naval Service and Coastguard figures met the families of the two missing men.

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The Commander of Fleet Operations at the Irish Naval Service, Eugene Ryan, and the head of the Irish Coastguard, Captain Liam Kirwan, briefed the families on the search.

This followed criticism of the recovery operation by relatives of the men who claimed the one mile exclusion zone imposed by the Coastguard around the wreck was frustrating local attempts to search for the men.

A spokesman for the Irish Naval Service said the intention was to brief the families on the rescue operation and "to assure them all was being done to find the men".

Today's dive will start between 12 pm and 12.30 pm at low tide. Yesterday's dive was hampered by poor visibility of just three feet.