National Park Service divers initiated dive operations on Tuesday afternoon, and resumed this morning, in the ongoing search for Timothy Panella and Richard Skoland.

They have been missing since Thursday, April 3 after their boat capsized on the Delaware River south of the Dingmans Ferry Access. A third individual, Ronald Priest, made it safely to shore and reported the accident.
 
Tuesday’s underwater search effort concentrated on areas identified by a search dog as points of interest. Six divers from the National Park Service dive team participated in Tuesday’s operation, with support from the New Jersey State Police Marine Services Unit. Divers completed 18 dives on the target areas. Each dive lasted approximately 25 minutes. Visibility in the water was about 6 feet; however, the cold water, swift current and underwater obstructions, including trees and boulders, added to the complexity of the search. In addition, rangers continued to search the river banks and islands in an effort to find the missing men. New Jersey State Police Aviation Bureau provided aerial support. Neither Panella nor Skoland has yet been located.
 
Today’s dive operation involves divers from the National Park Service and New Jersey State Police Marine Services Unit T.E.A.M. They are working in two-person teams, supported by boats on the surface. A systematic grid-search is being conducted, which allows the divers to thoroughly cover the search area. They are again focusing on the areas previously identified as points of interest by the search dog. A total of 20 people are dedicated to today’s search effort, including the divers and support personnel. A New Jersey State Police helicopter conducted an aerial search over the river corridor this afternoon.
 
Divers will continue the underwater operation as long as search conditions are favorable. The river level continues to drop, although the current remains swift and the water temperature is in the low 40s.
 
Additional updates will be provided as the search operation continues.