By Khalida Sarwari
A 35-year-old Sunnyvale man who went missing while surfing in Hawaii last week still has not been located, though a body has been spotted near the spot where he disappeared.
The man, whose name has not been released, was last seen March 9 surfing in black shorts off of Laniakea Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, where he was vacationing with his wife, Honolulu fire Capt. Terry Seelig said.
A multi-agency search was launched that same day, with helicopters and rescue divers covering nearly five square miles. During the search, crews spotted what appeared to be a body floating in the surf impact zone, Seelig said.
Seelig said the body was seen in rough waters with waves of up to 7 feet, and divers were unable to reach it due to turbulence and darkness.
Again on March 10, a body was seen off nearby Papailoa Point surrounded by three large tiger sharks behaving in an aggressive manner, Seelig said.
On Thursday morning, a resident called police to report finding a pair of partially shredded black shorts on Papailoa Point beach. The search was suspended that afternoon, Seelig said.
Seelig said signs warning beachgoers about the presence of aggressive tiger sharks were posted March 10 at Laniakea Beach, Papailoa Beach and Chun’s Reef.
Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Uyu said the man was from China but lived in Sunnyvale.
The Honolulu Emergency Services Department’s ocean safety division, the Honolulu Police Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the search.