Family continues search for missing Army specialist at Soberanes Point
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MONTEREY COUNTY, California (KSBW) — The family of Amanpreet Thind, an Army specialist who was swept out to sea at Soberanes Point along the Big Sur coast on November 22, is continuing their search efforts with the help of outside diving experts.
Thind’s brother, Gaganpreet Thind, expressed hope that his brother will be found, saying, “Every day my first thought is, I wish my brother was right next to me.”
Thind was studying multiple languages at the Defense Institute School in Monterey when he was swept off the rocks and into the ocean.
Despite five days of searching, local agencies had to call off their efforts last week due to rough ocean conditions. However, the family is not giving up.
“We are not giving up. We are still searching for him,” Gaganpreet Thind said.
The family has organized a private search, hiring a dive team equipped with sonar and big wave search and rescue jet ski operators.
“Hopefully, you know, we can find them with all the help we are getting,” Gaganpreet Thind said.
State Parks official, Mike Dippel, noted, “The two men that are out here searching today are at the highest level of jet ski operation. They’re experts. They routinely do rescue operations up at Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, the surf spot.”
The search also includes Angel’s Diver Juan Heredia, who has volunteered to help the family for free.
“I’ll be honest with you, he’s the main reason we are not losing hope,” Gaganpreet Thind said. “He’s keeping the hope with the family, like, ‘Hey, we can find him.’ So he’s I would say he’s the main reason, even why I’m still in California.”
Gaganpreet Thind described his brother as an intelligent mind with an adventurous soul and a deep care for others.
“He’s that type of person. If you are in the same room as him, he will put other people in front of him, and then he will think about himself,” Gaganpreet Thind said. “We can’t give up. My parents are 70 years old. They need a closure, and until we find him, there’s no closure. So we really need to find them. And we’re not going to give up until we actually find him. And I. I hope this does not take long. I hope you find him today, tomorrow, anytime soon.”
State Parks officials remind the public that conditions along the coast are dangerous and that only experts should be involved in the search.
They advise exercising caution when near the coast.
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