Diver Bryan Nazareno still missing
Last June 3, Bryan Nazareno went missing after going on a diving trip with his friends at the Tubbataha reef area in Palawan.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) received the report that Bryan was missing at 11 am on June 4 (Tuesday). According to them, he went diving with his group in Amos Rock in Tubbataha Reef and had been missing since 4pm on June 3 (Monday).
Bryan Nazareno is the husband of Karrots Nazareno (DJ Karrots a.k.a Tita K) who is currently seeking the help of coastal residents in municipalities and nearby provinces in the Sulu Sea for any information regarding her husband.
“‘Yong asawa ko, si Bryan ay isang diver, at nawawala siya noong June 3. Last siyang nakita sa Tubbataha. Hinahanap namin siya at hanggang ngayon hindi pa namin siya makita. May mga divers na hinahanap siya, we have also mga kaibigan sa military, and we’re all looking for him… air surveillance has also been ongoing, baka sakaling napadpad siya sa inyo at nakita niyo siya, baka may kaibigan kayong mangingisda na may nakita, pakisabi na lang sa pulis ninyo at sa barangay… sana po matulungan niyo kami na mahanap siya,” She said in an interview with Palawan News on June 8 (Saturday).
She said in the interview that his husband, Bryan, flew to Puerto Princesa City on June 1 and boarded M/Y Palausport to arrive in Tubattaha on June 2 for a first dive. Then, due to unfortunate events, he was reported missing to the ranger station of the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) on June 3, which alerted authorities as well as the provincial government.
Bryan was with Scott “Gutsy” Tuason, an underwater photographer, and a group of divers before he went missing in Amos Rock.
“He was following Gutsy, and then there was a lady, who was also part of their group, she was taking a video… so there’s also a video showing the last time Bryan was seen. He was following Gutsy, took photos, and then he turned to the video-taking lady and he made a (hand) signal that he will go up. Gutsy was not even gone for like one minute, met up with Bryan, and then… hindi ba when you go up, you don’t go up dire-diretso? Hindi ka puwede. You have to do it at certain stops. So, below there were people doing diving, as they were doing the ascent, there were people above them. Beyond that, there were dive masters watching. He was still in the group, they can still see him. And when they went to… it’s called a decompression stop, you pause at a certain depth and then you do a head count… when they did that pause, he was no longer there,” Karrots said.
According to Karrots, Bryan was at a depth of around 35-40 meters because he was done diving and preparing to ascend. If Bryan was separated from the group, the standard operating procedure (SOP) would be him going up by himself, do decompression, and release his balloon to go up.
Tuason went back to look for Bryan when no one saw him above the water.
“When they didn’t see him, the partner went back down. They reported him missing and prepared for a search dive. They went back in and continued to do that. There was no balloon, no bubbles, no nothing,” Karrots continued.
Amidst the loss of her husband, Karrots remains hopeful that her husband will be found because Bryan is “very calm and does not panic” by nature when presented with dangerous situations. She also said that Bryan “is always fully aware of safety precautions and prioritizes safety.”
Karrots mentioned that her husband has been diving for 20 years and has done about 600 dives.
“He has dove abroad, has been to Tubbataha for like three times so when it comes to experience, he’s very experienced. Bryan’s a recreational videographer and Gutsy is a good friend whom he looks up to when it comes to underwater photography,” she said.
The Nazareno Family is working closely with the provincial government to spread missing person notices in coastal areas of the municipalities and provinces in the Sulu Sea.
“How can you give yourself a timeline to find him? He’s my husband… the sea is really just so endless and it’s so easy to feel hopeless, but then you have to… I don’t know, I guess you just have to ground yourself and prepare yourself for the worst… but then keep your hope as deep as the sea. Whatever the result, we will be ready. But we cannot just sit and wait, we have to take action,” Karrots said.
According to Palawan News, the search and rescue operations (SAR) to find Bryan Nazareno is led by the Western Command (WESCOM) through the Joint Task Force Integrated Crisis Action Responses to Emergencies (I-CARE) and being supervised by the Tactical Operations Wing West (Tow West) under its operational control.
The spokesperson of the Naval Forces West (NFW), Lt. Ronne Riel Grimpola, said that a private company has offered the use of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to find Bryan in the underwater
Chief of the 2nd Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group, Pol. Col. Greg Togonon, said that they have dispatched SAR teams on boars Dauntless Boat SOU 007 on June 5 to search for Bryan in the eastern portion of Narra, Sofronio Española, Brooke’s Point, Bataraza, and Balabac.
Until now, there are still no news about Bryan Nazareno and his whereabouts.
If you have any information on Bryan or his whereabouts, please alert the nearest authorities know or let us know, message us on https://www.facebook.com/Mellow947.fm/ and any information will be a great help to the search efforts.
