Unfavourable weather is hampering the search for the remaining man missing since a fishing boat sank in a storm off the West Coast last week.
Two Greymouth fishermen - Jay Cairney and Kieran Lynch - were missing after the Wendy J sank south of Jackson Bay last Thursday.
One body, formally identified this morning as Mr Cairney (43), was found on Tuesday afternoon,
Skipper Mark Thomas was rescued from rocks in the Cascade area, about 8km south of where the boat apparently sank, at Smoothwater Bay, six days ago.
In a statement this morning police said that owing to the weather, the dive squad could not be deployed in the search for Mr Lynch,
''It is hoped that weather conditions will improve and allow them to get back in the water but at this stage, the forecast indicates this is unlikely to be before next week.''
Earlier, Sergeant Mathew Tailby, of Greymouth, said the search until yesterday had focused on the shoreline, using drift projections produced by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre, in conjunction with local knowledge of the area.
These areas were expanded to include the remote country nearby and specific seabed areas, he said.
''Sadly, police have reached the point where the search has exhausted these areas without any sign of the missing man.''
- additional reporting Brendon McMahon
