JDF Coast Guard to resume search for man who drowned at Port Royal beach

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard, has confirmed that, for a limited time, it will resume the search for 21 year old Jerome Christie who is suspected to have drowned at Port Royal beach in Kingston.
  
Mr. Christie was swimming with friends at the beach on Sunday, when he reportedly encountered difficulty. He disappeared and residents immediately launched a search. This was later continued by the JDF but had to be called off due to poor visibility.                                                       
  
Lieutenant Commander Acieon Prescott, Acting Commanding Officer for the JDF Coast Guard, said several factors will determine how much longer the search will continue.      

Commander Prescott, who was speaking Monday on RJR's Beyond The Headlines, said strong underwater currents and particles under the sea have made the search difficult.
  
He explained that, the more time passes, the more difficult it will be to locate a body.

But the search, he said, will be concentrated near the Port Royal area. If that area is exhausted and the body is not found, he said the search would have to be suspended because "in all likelihood, the body is washed out into deep sea, south of the island, at which point it would be basically impossible to (search) that area with any degree of success."

Commander Prescott said, going forward, the search plan will consist mostly of a surface search, augmented by dives, "but the concern is where the body would have washed up based on the current situation."