The search for a Quebec man who went missing while scuba diving in the waters off Cozumel, Mexico on Saturday continued on Wednesday.
With government teams and private contractors combing the water, others will speak with local fishermen in the hopes that they can help them determine what happened to Cameron Donaldson.
Donaldson, an experienced diver, was reported missing by his mother after a dive in Playa Las Rocas.
The pair had gone into the water together but split up so Donaldson could go deeper into the water.
However he did not resurface at the pre-arranged time.
“He is a generous, kind, warm and loving person and he has touched many people’s life,” said his friend Ray Moore. “For someone as young as he is, it’s amazing to see the impact he’s had on so many people.”
Mexican authorities are leading the search efforts, though a fundraising campaign to help the family fund air rescue searches raised more than $40,000 in one day.
Donaldson's mother, brother, and local divers in Mexico are also spending their time looking for any sign of him.
"They are hiring private aircraft to fly search missions also. They're trying to fill in the gaps where the Mexican government is not reaching," said Moore.
A family friend, Jane Bell, was in touch with Donaldson's mother on Tuesday.
"There's a private ferry in which Cameron's mother is on that, leaving from Playa this morning. There's a police helicopter, there are military planes, and there are many volunteers on boats searching, plus there's a tech diving team, diving in the area. And I think this is the third day of this kind of intense search for Cameron," said Bell.
She added that Donaldson's mother is very worried about her son.
The area he was diving in is known for its strong currents and it was particularly dangerous on the day Donaldson went missing, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched to raise money for his family.
Moore said many of the donations came in from people who know Donaldson through the dive community.
According to the campaign, Donaldson works as a therapeutic dive trainer for people with disabilities and PTSD in the village of Waskaganish off James Bay in Quebec.
He lives in Cozumel for part of the year and was diving with his mother when he went missing.
“He dives regularly with his mother, though they usually separate and do separate dives and rejoin later in the dive or rejoin on the shore,” said Moore.