A MAJOR GARDA air and sea search continued today for a 24-year-old lobster fisherman, named locally as Kodie Healy, whose boat failed to return to port yesterday.

The west Cork town of Goleen and members of the wider fishing community turned out in force to search for Kodie, whose father John is also a fisherman, today.

The alarm was raised by John when Kodie his son failed to return to port yesterday evening.

Valentia Coastguard immediately commenced action and a search began at 8pm yesterday.

An operation was launched by the Coastguard, Naval Service, the RNLI and volunteer groups. It was stood down at 2.30am this morning.

Searchers later found the wreckage of Kodie’s boat on Carbery Island, near Dunmanus Bay.

The search resumed today at first light with the Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115, RNLI lifeboats from Castletownbere and Baltimore and the Naval Service patrol ship LE William Butler Yeats joined in the efforts.

Members of the fishing community also threw their weight behind the search.

The Healy family are well known in the area and there was no shortage of offers of assistance once the alarm was raised.

Kodie is also familiar to those in GAA circles in the area.

The operation is primarily targeting an area of Dunmanus Bay where he was understood to have been tending to lobster pots.

He was fishing alone when he went missing. The vessel was put to sea yesterday morning.

Weather conditions deteriorated throughout the day today, making search operations more challenging than usual.

Shoreline searches were conducted by the Schull and Goleen Coast Guard units.

Prayers continue to be offered for the missing man at churches in the the area.