No sign of Jack as searchers take to the skies

Pilot Ryan Cameron, Papamoa Surf Lifesaver Stu Lowth and Tauranga Aero Club member Roy Edwards prepare for an aerial search for Jack Dixon. Photo / John Borren

Searchers are yet to find any sign of Jack Dixon one week after he was swept out to sea by a freak wave.

A team of three, a pilot and two spotters, yesterday took to the skies in the bid to find the 5-year-old and police divers scoured the waters around Mauao, but all were unsuccessful.

James Churchward, chief flying instructor with the Tauranga Aero Club, said three men had flown along the Bay of Plenty coast between Whangamata and Whakatane and in and around Tauranga Harbour to see if they could spot any sign of Jack.

The team spent three hours in the air but did not see anything.

"We decided to put a plane out. We've got an aircraft sitting here so we thought we may as well have a look."

The minimum height the plane could fly was 150 metres around the coast and 300 metres in built-up areas.

Volunteering as a spotter was Stu Lowth, who has been involved in the search for Jack since day one as a member of Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club.

Mr Lowth said the team had been given a description of the clothes Jack was wearing on the day he went missing.

The flight took in such a broad area on the off chance he had been swept out further than anticipated. "We're looking at all our options because there has been an extensive search where he went in."

The police dive squad began a search from Pilot Bay about 10.30am yesterday.

Tauranga Aero Club member Roy Edwards was the other spotter while Sun Air pilot and mechanic Ryan Cameron flew the plane.

Sun Air owner Dan Power said the company had put up the money for the flight. It had been their last chance to find Jack by air, he said. The team had been unable go out any earlier because of poor weather.

Police divers searched an area adjacent to Shelly Beach for about eight hours yesterday.

Western Bay of Plenty police acting area commander Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair said the conditions were cold but the divers had two to three metres visibility and were searching a sheltered area.

Twelve Search and Rescue staff extensively searched the Matakana Island shoreline on foot and three vehicles.

Mr Wright-St Clair said the family, as well as police, were frustrated they had not found Jack. "They don't want people to give up," he said.

The family hoped people would keep their eyes open while walking around Mauao, he said.

The search for Jack Dixon
• Jack was swept to sea last Wednesday.
• Trying conditions with strong winds, big surf and king tides have hampered the search.
• Searches were scaled down from twice a day to once a day on Monday.