Kawika David Benjamin Chetron

• Missing Since 03/16/2007
• Missing From Humboldt County, California
• Classification Lost/Injured Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 12/07/1974 (49)
• Age 32 years old
• Height and Weight 5'9, 150 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A dry suit with a double liner, and dark-colored diving gear.
• Associated Vehicle(s) 17-foot Boston Whaler Montauk boat (accounted for)
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Red hair, brown eyes. "Kawika" may or may not be Chetron's legal first name; his father stated it means "David" in Hawaiian and he acquired the name as a child.

Details of Disappearance

Chetron was last seen on March 16, 2007 in Humboldt County, California. He was an underwater photographer at the time of his disappearance and operated the website Cold Water Images. On the day he went missing, he went diving alone at Blunts Reef near Cape Mendocino, five miles offshore. He apparently never resurfaced and has never been heard from again.

Chetron is described as a very experienced and capable diver; he had been diving since 1986 and was a strong swimmer and physically very fit. The local water temperature at the time of his disappearance was 55 degrees, the sea was calm and he was dressed appropriately.

The Coast Guard did an extensive search and located Chetron's 17-foot Boston Whaler Montauk boat, half-submerged and anchored in about 100 feet of water. There was no indication of his whereabouts, but his camera was aboard the boat.

According to his website, Chetron completed high school at the Robert Louis Stevenson School, then went on to study engineering at Harvard University and Stanford University. He is believed to have drowned in an accident at sea.