WATERVLIET — After nearly two weeks and more than 700 hours of intensive searching, authorities have yet to find a missing Niles kayaker.

What authorities have discovered are articles of clothing, a kayak and oars that suggest that the man is still in the Paw Paw River where he disappeared on Feb. 27, according to Watervliet Fire Chief Dan Jones.

Cory Wright, 35, was kayaking with two others when he struck a log on the river around 7:44 p.m. near 4265 R. Smith St. The two other kayakers that were on the water with Wright were able to make it to shore safely.

Since Wright’s disappearance, the Watervliet Fire Department and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Marine Division have partnered with the Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State Police to comb through the water and surrounding areas in search of Wright.

The search has included the use of drones of overhead and subsurface variety, underwater cameras, aircraft, cadaver dogs, as well as dry/immersion suits during the search.

Search efforts have been made particularly difficult by the massive amounts of debris and murky water conditions exacerbated by last month’s flooding.

“It is a tangled up mess,” Jones said of river conditions “It is slow going and labor intensive.”

Cold water temperatures, which average about 37 degrees near the surface and swift currents, have also been factors that have made the search more difficult. Water depths range from 8 to 13 feet and more than 16 feet in areas of the river where there are holes.

According to Jones, authorities have searched about 6 miles of the river from Watervliet to Coloma. Between eight and 25 people are searching the water and banks at a time. Jones said his hope is to find Wright and bring closure to the family.

“It is a very unfortunate situation,” Jones said.  “It is not a typical time of year when we have people kayaking. We will keep after it.”

Jones cautioned residents to stay away from the banks and water ways, because conditions are still dangerous. Ground conditions around the river are soft and a number of other hazards might still be covered under still receding flood waters.

Eventually, Jones said search efforts would have to be scaled back, though he is not sure at this time when that will be.

“I would like to stop and bring closure to the family,” Jones said. “A good number of guys are out there going non-stop.”