What was supposed to be a day of fun in the sun has turned into a nightmare for a group of friends swimming in Tumon Bay.

"I think they were just enjoying the waters; swimming around and got caught in the current. And right around the channel and got swept out. That's basically what the story sounds like," described fire chief Joey San Nicolas. For the past 24 hours GovGuam and military first responders have been scouring the waters off Tumon Bay for a missing swimmer- the only one still missing from a group that went out into the water on Sunday.

San Nicolas added, "A total of five of them in their party. Four of them made it back in and one didn't. As of 6 o'clock in the evening yesterday we launched a full on search effort - a coordinated effort with the Guam Fire Department, Guam Police Department, United States Coast Guard, HSC-25, as well as DPR lifeguards. Search went on throughout the night, both in the ocean, outside the reef, inside the reef and on shore."

The report was made to 911 just before six o'clock Sunday of a group of distressed swimmers outside the reef behind the Dusit Thani Guam Resort. The search continued early this morning with a command post set up at Matapang Beach. As of early this afternoon, divers were already on their fourth dive searching the most probable areas. About 50 people are part of the search effort that will likely continue through tomorrow.

"Based on experience as well as research. We're very active in the first 48-72 hours of the search in hopes to find a person. And then after that we come together to determine feasibility and a lot of factors like whether the person has a floatation device or how rough the waters were. Do we have any signs of sea animals that could've gotten a hold of them. Things like that play into the decision making but it's a coordinated decision done with the United States Coast Guard Command Center and the Guam Fire Department," said the chief.

According to San Nicolas, the missing swimmer is a 22-year-old male military service member.

A release from the United States Marine Corps Public Affairs Office confirms the man is a US Marine embarked on the USS Green Bay as part of Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Okinawa, Japan.