Officials at the Coast Guard Administration said yesterday the search will continue today.

The eight holidaymakers -- six men and two women -- were reported missing while scuba diving in waters near Chihsingyen (Seven Star Rock), located some 12 nautical miles southwest of Kenting in the southernmost county of Pingtung.

They left for Chihsingyen along with four other members of a Kaohsiung diving club aboard a yacht early in the morning. The 12 began scuba diving in waters between Oluanbi and Chihsingyen at 10:30 a.m. and were supposed to return to the yacht at 11:30 a.m.

However, eight of them failed to return to the yacht on schedule.

They were identified as Hung Yu-sheng, 29; Ting Po-ling, 32; Wang Chih-yu, 25; Wang Shun-ping, 28; Tu Ting-chang, 38; Kuo Chun-hsien, 38; Lee Su-ling, 44; and Liu Hui-chun, 28.

The skipper of the yacht said strong winds and rapid currents in the region prevented him from finding the missing divers.

He then reported the case to the Hengchun coast guard squad in charge of coastal patrols in the Kenting National Park region.

Coast guard teams from Pingtung and neighboring Kaohsiung County launched an all-out search, including sending two helicopters, as soon as they were informed of the case at around noon.

Officials at the Coast Guard Administration said five of the missing divers have earned diving licenses and are qualified as diving coaches.

The strong winds and rapid currents could have taken the divers away from their set course, they said.

The search will resume immediately at daybreak today, they said.

Diving experts said the Chihsingyen region has the most beautiful undersea sceneries, including rare coral reefs as well as countless varieties of marine animals and plants.

However, divers should always keep very alert on the weather conditions, including the strength of the winds and the speed of the currents, they said.