Greg Mickey, 58, vanished during a dive off North Carolina’s Frying Pan Shoals on June 18, 2005. An advanced certified diver wearing a full 7mm Dacor wetsuit, clear face mask and neon green and black fins, and carrying an AB Biller spear gun, he and two friends were exploring at about 110 feet when they lost their anchor line and began a free ascent. A strong cross-current swept the pair northwest away from their vessel, the Details, and surface conditions were rough.

Friends last saw Greg on the surface roughly 50 feet from the boat at about noon. Witnesses say he removed his buoyancy compensator and air tank in an apparent attempt to swim back to the boat. One companion was rescued by the Coast Guard nine hours later, another made it back to the vessel, but Greg never returned. The Coast Guard mounted 40 search missions over more than 1,000 square miles; private searches also took place. Divers recovered Greg’s weight belt with its buckle open four days after the disappearance, but his body was never found.

The circumstances — an experienced diver, full gear, close to his boat, and the open weight belt recovered — leave key questions about exactly what happened during that ascent and subsequent drift. Did anyone have contact with Greg on the surface after noon, or see debris or equipment that could narrow the search area?