Amanpreet Singh Thind was swept away by a powerful wave while hiking Big Sur.

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

Search operations for Amanpreet Singh Thind, a 35-year-old U.S. Army specialist from New Jersey, have been officially suspended after four days of intensive efforts along the California coast, authorities said. But as public agencies step back, divers, loved ones, and supporters back home are continuing the fight to bring him home.

Thind, a student at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, was swept into the Pacific Ocean at Soberanes Point in Garrapata State Park on Saturday, Nov. 22, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said. A Beach Hazard Statement was active at the time.

He had been hiking Big Sur with three friends when a powerful wave struck the rocks, pulling him and two female service members into the water, officials said. The two women managed to escape. According to the family’s GoFundMe, “a sudden and powerful wave swept Aman and two other soldiers out to sea. While the two soldiers with him were able to self-recover, tragically, Aman was carried away by the ocean.”

Search teams used dive units, drones, rescue swimmers, and helicopters from sunrise to sunset each day. But with dangerous conditions and no sign of Thind, the Sheriff’s Office halted the formal search and urged the public not to enter the water. Officials also asked the community to be thoughtful online, noting that grieving families see every comment.

Private diver Juan Heredia, who previously located the body of a missing 7-year-old off the same coastline, said he began searching on his own after officials stood down. His account paints a picture of delays, missed opportunities, and dangerous conditions.

“Yeah… it’s frustrating,” he said. “Aman drowned on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday I drove 3 hours to help the authorities. They asked me not to go in the water, even though I had just found 7-year-old Anzi a week before.”

He said early momentum was lost.

“The truth is… the first hours are everything. When you start right away with every resource possible, the son or daughter is usually still close. Even the helicopter spotted him — but no diver jumped to grab him. That one hurts.”

Heredia said he was finally allowed to dive midweek.

“They allowed me back on Wednesday, and now I’m chasing him. I dove 4 hours. Thursday on Thanksgiving, 3 more hours solo.”

But he later learned he had been searching in the wrong place.

“Aman’s brother tells me the information was wrong — I had been diving the wrong area for two days. Then someone else sends me the helicopter coordinates… way south. Man, that hits you in the chest.”

High surf then forced him out of the water.

“Since I believe he’s still on the surface, I had to wait, and I couldn’t dive… just climb the cliffs and watch the water.”

Still, he has refused to quit.

“It’s frustrating… especially knowing they called off the search but I never stopped. Anyway… today, Saturday, I’m heading back to the ocean. If the waves let me in, I’ll dive. If not, I’ll search the cliffs again and be back tomorrow.”

A Trenton-based GoFundMe created by Gagan Thind had raised $19,200 as of Monday, Dec. 1, to support ongoing recovery attempts. The family wrote, “Our family is devastated, and we are doing everything in our power to continue the search and bring him home.”

Their message continues: “We are committed to searching until we bring him back where he belongs.”

Funds will go toward dive teams, drones, and helicopter services, and any remaining money will be donated to a nonprofit organization.