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Earlier Updates
10:45am, Wednesday May 8th, 2013: The Royal Bahamas Defence Force divers who came to the scene for the first time on Tuesday, May 7th, returned at about 9:49 am on Wednesday to resume the search for Ryan McCardy and Johnson Blanc. Divers suited up with tanks and began a deeper dive search near shore all along the incident site.
Local fishing tour guide, from Governor’s Harbour, Mr. Paul Petty, to-date has been the only person to pilot a boat to the location and he has once again joined the search effort. Petty is expected to work with divers to take them to areas less accessible by swimming alone to broaden the search area covered.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force, lead by Supt. Davis, has been on the beach each day since Sunday morning when the incident occurred.
The small vessel involved in the incident was located shortly after the incident on Sunday May 5th, by local searchers who had combed the beach – wedged offshore between shoals. While Defence force divers noted the location on Tuesday, the vessel currently remains lodged under water – badly damaged.
The US Coast Guard helicopter performed a search on Sunday and Monday afternoon and it has not been confirmed who were onboard the helicopter.
Update 6:00pm, May 7th, 2013: No further activity by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force since about 1:30pm. Communicated expectations are that they will resume in the morning with the hope that seas closer in to the coastline will be calmer. Officials described the area searched today as “wide”, with no substantial find, that has been confirmed as being linked to (the location of ) either victim. (Note: The location of the fishing vessel used by the men has been known as being stuck under a shoal not too far from the shore, since shortly after the incident.)
Update 1:45pm, May 7th, 2013: According to authorities, Defence Force divers, after combing a large area in the vicinity of where the capsizing incident occurred, came out of the waters shortly after 1:30 pm. A meeting with the Defence Force divers and local authorities to discuss today’s search and their strategy for the remainder of the day was to be held at around 2pm.
Update 10:20am, May 7th, 2013: Family members, friends and police are back at the north shore beach in Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera near to where the tragic boating incident occurred on Sunday May 5th (See below). Four Defence Force divers are currently diving among the reefs and rocky coast, looking for any signs of what may have happened to the two missing men, Mr. Ryan McCardy and Mr. Johnson Blanc.
(Top Right) – Family, the older sisters and brother of Mr. Ryan McCardy look out as the Defence Force divers (48 hours) after the incident, search for any evidence of their loved one and his colleague among the reefs. (Left, top and bottom) The Royal Bahamas Defence Force divers join in the search for the two missing young Bahamians. (Bottom Right) Members of the community of Hatchet Bay, wait on the beach for any news of the missing young men.
Update 6:15pm May 6th, 2013: The 4pm assessment of diving conditions by the volunteer contingent from the island school concluded that the seas were still too dangerous to attempt a meaningful search. Family members of both victims spent the day at the beach along with members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force led by Supt. Ismella Davis. Family members say that they have been informed that on Tuesday morning, divers from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force are finally expected to arrive – 48 hours after the tragic incident, on the north shore of Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera, The Bahamas.
Update: 2:45pm May 6th, 2013: A team of volunteer divers from The Island School in South Eleuthera, at the invitation of authorities, travelled to the beach in Hatchet Bay this afternoon and assessed the seas as being too rough for any meaningful diving to be done, in search of the missing men. They decided to once again comb the shoreline until about 4pm and reassess the conditions at that time. Mr. Paul Petty with a police officer on board, in the morning spent a couple hours out searching and was the only vessel to brave the high waves in an attempt to assist an otherwise, landbased search. The older brother of Mr. Ryan McCardy with his sisters on the beach looking on, snorkeled for about an hour this morning, in search of their missing brother.
Update 10:40am May 6th, 2013: A limited search for the two men missing at sea since yesterday resumed after being postponed overnight due to poor light. It has been 24 hours since the small fishing vessel capsized in rough seas relatively close to land, on the Atlantic – north side of Hatchet Bay at Unit 2 beach. The search was conducted along the shoreline for most of Sunday, with a USCG helicopter assisting later in the day.
On Monday, a private vessel piloted by game fishing tour guide, Paul Petty of Governor’s Harbour helped local police to scour the water in search of the two young men, identified as Mr. Ryan McCardy of Hatchet Bay Eleuthera and Mr. Johnson Blanc, of Nassau, New Providence.
At last check the Royal Bahamas Defence Force was still citing bad weather with local authorities awaiting confirmation of the Force sending divers by plane. The Island School in South Eleuthera was also contacted by local police and they would likely be sending some assistance for the water search. BASRA was also contacted, however authorities had no details as to their response.
Update: 6:08pm May 5th, 2013: Authorities on Eleuthera have called off the search for the two missing men at sea, until 6:30am on Monday morning due to fading light and rough seas. The Defense force vessel, which was expected to participate in the search on Sunday, did not make it to the North Coast beach, and officials say it was because of the high seas. Just before 3pm in the afternoon the orange and white, United States Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter appeared in the area, to assist with the search. It is expected that a more robust search on sea will occur tomorrow, when weather is forecast to improve in the search area.
The USCG helicopter, visible at the top of the photo, joined in the search on Sunday afternoon.
May 5th, 2013. 4:42pm
(Eleuthera, Bahamas) – Shortly after 11:00 am on Sunday morning, May 5th, authorities in Eleuthera were alerted about a small fishing vessel which had capsized in the area of the north side beach in Hatchet Bay (Unit 2 beach), Central Eleuthera.
Witnesses said that sometime after 9:00am, five young men (Johnny Simmons, Ephesias Pinder, Chara Saunders, Ryan McCardy and Johnson Blanc ) left aboard the 13ft tin vessel and, not too long after, were hit by a large wave that caused it to capsize, throwing everyone overboard.
Survivors reported that they were not too far from shore when it all went wrong, having capsized near the first reef in the area. Accounts given described waves pushing all five towards the rocky shoreline, with three of them making it to safety. However, the remaining two (Ryan McCardy and Johnson Blanc), who was said to have also made it in, according to witness accounts, were pulled back under by the prevailing currents and back out to sea.
Three men made it back to land safely following the boating incident. Standing on the beach from left are: Chara Saunders, Ephesias Pinder and Johnny Simmons.
Skies were dark and seas very rough in the hours after the incident. The clouds passed in the early afternoon.
A crowd of family, friends and community members gathered and searched along the shoreline in the area for most of the morning and early afternoon, awaiting further assistance by air or sea to mount a search of the surrounding waters.
Hours after the two young men went missing, a search and rescue helicopter was seen combing the area and well beyond around 2:48pm.
As of 3:45pm, small crowds still lined the beach where the incident occurred, awaiting further information on the status of the two missing men.
Friends and family combed the shoreline, looking for any signs of their missing loved ones from the Hatchet Bay community
