THE SEARCH for a young West of Ireland man who went missing after jumping into a lake in Canada has been called off.
David Gavin, 26, from Castlebar in Co. Mayo, is presumed to have drowned after he was last seen getting into difficulty in Kinbasket Lake, British Columbia on June 30.
Canadian authorities stood down their search for the missing Irishman in July, but his family later launched a private search made possible by a fundraising campaign.
A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for Mr Gavin’s family raised over €200,000 – but the 26-year-old’s family has now postponed the search until May.
In a statement, the talented GAA footballer’s family describe the decision as a “heartbreaking” one.
“Unfortunately the search for David did not yield the positive result that the family and friends had hoped for,” the Gavin family said.
“The search was hampered to a great extent by poor water visibility in the lake, but all possible search options were exhausted over the last few weeks.”
Tragic Mr Gavin moved to Vancouver with his girlfriend Ciara in February of this year.
A memorial service for David held in August heard how he was on his way to a GAA tournament in Calgary with his club mates when they stopped at Kinbasket Lake for a swim.
David was the first to jump in but he never resurfaced. His friends responded immediately but were unable to find him.
Hope now turns to next May in a second bid to locate the Co. Mayo native’s body.
“The advice from all involved in the search, is to return next May when the water level in the lake reservoir will be at its lowest level,” the family said.
“The river channels will then be exposed, and the water depth reduced to ten feet. This may facilitate identification of David’s precise location, which will then, hopefully, bring some closure.”
“We would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for the amazing support given to us over the last few months, since David went missing.
“We have been truly overwhelmed by the generosity of people and we would love to be able to thank every single person and group individually.
“We just want you all to know that without your support, we would not have been in a position to carry out the search to the extent that we did. It has meant such a great deal to us to have the support of the community and for that we will be eternally grateful.”
The family added: “David’s two GAA clubs, Breaffy and Vancouver Harps (ISSC) have been absolutely brilliant to us, and we want to thank both clubs for their unwavering support throughout.
“A series of matches in David’s memory took place last weekend in Salmon Arm, BC. Teams from all affiliated clubs in Western Canada GAA took part and it was a tremendous success.”
