Thailand - Joshua Devine, 36, MA man missing from boat, 11 April 2015

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – It’s been four days since Chicopee native Joshua Devine disappeared during a diving trip in Thailand. His family is still hopeful that Joshua is alive. His mother, Marie Major, and his sister are flying to Thailand Thursday so they can join in the search.

Major told 22News something doesn’t seem right: each account of the night Joshua disappeared has been different. He was on a deep sea diving trip off the coast of Thailand, when he disappeared from the ship early Saturday morning. She said the ship left around midnight Saturday, but Devine was reported missing around 4 that morning. In that time, she said witnesses, and Devine’s wife, recall Devine drinking heavily and getting violent. Major said she and Devine’s friends find it difficult to believe that he had been drinking. As a scuba instructor, he knew not to drink before a big dive. This dive was something he was looking forward to for years: a chance to swim with the whale sharks in the Andaman Sea.

Major told 22News that after a brief search of the ship, the 7 crewmembers and 22 passengers continued on their diving trip, posting pictures of the fun they had.

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Devine’s mother Marie Major and sister Jennifer Bakowski left their Enfield homes on Thursday and arrived in Thailand and are now getting more information about Devine’s disappearance. Two of his friends who live in Kuwait have also joined them, said Alison Podworski, owner of Alison May Public Relations and spokeswoman for the family.

Devine, who had served in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan with the active-duty military and later the National Guard, currently lives in Kuwait and works on information technology for a military contractor. He was also an experienced diver and instructor.

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The mother and sister of a former Western Massachusetts man missing on vacation have returned after nearly a week in Thailand seeking information about his disappearance.

The Springfield Republican reports family spokeswoman Alison Podworski says they hope Joshua Devine may have been rescued but unable to contact authorities. The official search ended but patrols are still on the lookout.

Podworski says Devine’s mother Marie Major and sister Jennifer Bakowski returned Friday to Enfield, Connecticut. They met with U.S. Embassy and local officials.

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PHUKET: The Governor of Phuket has backed attempts to find fuel for future sea searches by passing around the hat as questions continue to be asked about the quality of rescue operations off Thailand's main tourist coast.

The search for American diver Joshua Devine, 36, who disappeared from a dive boat on April 5, was interrupted for Thai New Year celebrations and hampered by limited fuel being available for a Marine Police boat, the only large vessel available for the search.

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The Family of American, Josh Devine, 36, who vanished while on a diving excursion in Thailand, is offering a $5,000 reward for anyone with information that could lead to his whereabouts.

Joshua Devine, 36, a former National Guard, was reported to have had too much to drink when he vanished from a live-aboard boat soon after it left Phuket for a voyage to the Similan islands.

While Thailand officials called off the search for Josh Devine, the family still has a lot of questions about what happened to him.

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