Aaron Hopa followed the exploits of his famous All Black namesake through the media as he travelled the world in his adventurous job as an industrial diver.
Now Aaron Hopa the rugby player is dead after a diving accident and his distant cousin the diving engineer is missing inthe Middle East, his family fearing the worst.
A search is underway for Mr Hopa, aged 28, of Geraldine, after he and a British friend, Robert Glazzard, disappeared from the survey freighter Sea Bulk Hercules as it headed for Dubai on Sunday to avoid bad weather.
Several hours after the ship docked in the United Arab Emirates port the pair were noticed missing and authorities were alerted.
Dubai police have seized the ship - which had four surveyors, three clients and crew on board - and have carried out a full forensic examination.
Land and sea searches are also being carried out.
Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman James Funnell said he understood from the company which owned the 60m ship, Oceaneering International of Singapore, that Mr Hopa and Mr Glazzard were last seen relaxing on the upper deck of the ship during the early hours of Sunday.
Mr Hopa's father, Geraldine police officer Jim Hopa, said that given recent events in the Middle East, including the bombing of Iraq and the kidnapping of a British oil worker in Yemen, he had serious concerns for his son's safety.
Mr Hopa said his son - an expert on the design and operation of remote underwater vehicles - was home for Christmas and was called back to duty about two weeks ago.
He and his son had discussed the shock death of Aaron Hopa the 27 year-old All Black - a second or third cousin whom his son had never met - in a diving accident off the Coromandel last month.
Mr Glazzard's mother, Michele Glazzard of Manchester, said from England yesterday: "I can't imagine that they've both fallen overboard ... they are two fit, agile young men who are used to being at sea."
