'Not the outcome we wanted' - Search suspended for Californian tourist lost in Lake Wakatipu skydive incident

January 24, 2018

The instructor who survived the January 10 incident has been released from hospital.

Police have suspended the search for the missing Californian tourist who crashed into Lake Wakatipu during a tandem skydive.

Tyler Nii, 27, was on a tandem dive with an instructor on January 10 when something went wrong and the pair fell into Lake Wakatipu.

The skydive instructor was pulled from the lake with minor injuries but Mr Nii has still not been located.

Police say their dive squad completed the final phase of their sonar search yesterday, and unfortunately have not located Tyler.

The area they have been searching is a 300 metre diameter radius from where the instructor was rescued.

The search has been hampered by conditions on the lake and the depth of searching.

Police say suspending the search is "not the outcome we wanted."

Mr Nii's family will be flying back to the US tomorrow, disappointed that they will not be able to return with his body but appreciative of the support and efforts undertaken by New Zealand police.

 
 

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