THE SEARCH FOR an Irish man who went missing after getting into difficulty when he jumped into a lake in Canada has been stood down.

David Gavin from Castlebar, Mayo, has not been seen since diving off a bridge near Lake Kinbasket in British Columbia on 30 June.

Canadian authorities called off the search in July, but a second search was made possible by extensive fundraising.

A GoFund me page set up to raise money for Gavin’s family had raised over €100,000 within the first 15 hours – to date more than €200,000 has been raised.

However, Mayo News has reported that the 26-year-old’s family has now postponed the search until May.

‘Something went wrong’ 

David moved to Vancouver with his girlfriend Ciara in February of this year.

A memorial service held in August heard how Gavin was on the way to a tournament in Calgary with GAA club mates when they stopped at Kinbasket Lake and decided to go for a swim to cool down.

Local priest Fr John McCormack described how “some of them walked over to a bridge that overlooked this beautiful place”.

“It was at a height that David was comfortable with. He had often jumped from higher heights before and there was no sign of danger.

David was the first to jump but something went wrong. He hit the water, resurfaced, and then disappeared. His friends responded immediately but were unable to save him.

“What went wrong, we don’t know, and we will never know unless David is found.”

Read: Over €100k raised for family of missing Irishman as Canadian police suspend searches>