Police plan to consult with the Royal New Zealand Navy's dive team to see if they are able to dive to the wreckage of The Governor.

Western Southland sub-area commander senior sergeant Cynthia Fairley said this afternoon the police dive squad was able to visit the wreckage yesterday, and gained good footage of the sunken vessel using a remote operated vehicle (ROV).

A search began for the boat on September 15, after it went missing while fishing in Fiordland. On board at the time were skipper Kevin Cosgrove, 60, a former Bluff man, and his sole crewman, 16-year-old Nirvana Drew Reynolds.

The pair were last heard from about 11.30am that day, when they radioed another vessel to say The Governor's net appeared to have snagged near Yates Pt.

Today Ms Fairley said because of strong underwater sea currents yesterday, the squad was only able to get closer shots of one side of the boat. It was not able to get footage of the other side, or of the wheelhouse.

The footage was yet to be analysed in detail, but at this stage it did not locate the missing men. The boat was lying upright and intact on the sea floor, she said.

''The plan from here is to consult with the navy's dive team to find out its availability and the viability of using its resources to dive down to the wreckage. The navy has the capability to dive to lower depths using a compression chamber. A decision is hoped to made early next week as to whether this course of action will be taken,'' Ms Fairley said.

A search for the missing boat began on September 15, and involved police, helicopters, and several fishing vessels. A coastguard fixed-wing aircraft later joined the search.

The national police dive squad also arrived in the area earlier this week to search, but rough weather and sea conditions prevented them from searching the wreckage until Wednesday, when they confirmed it was that of The Governor.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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