LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — Long before Veronica Beatrix Jessica became a dive master in Labuan Bajo, the sea had already become a major part of her life.

The 23-year-old Jakarta native, who remains missing after the tourist boat KM Feronia sank in Komodo National Park on October 13, grew up enjoying activities such as diving, snorkelling and freediving.

Her cousin, Cheryl Marella, said Veronica had loved the ocean since childhood and had always wanted to spend as much time around the sea as possible.

That interest began partly through her father, who enjoyed jet skiing and often took the family to the coast. For Veronica, the experience eventually developed into something more than a hobby.

She later moved to Labuan Bajo, where she built a career around marine tourism and diving.

Veronica had been living and working in the area for around five years. According to her family, she initially worked for a pinisi tourism company before recently joining Dive Tribe, a diving company based in Labuan Bajo.

She had only been with the company for a little over a month when KM Feronia sank.

On October 13, Veronica was working during a diving trip involving dozens of passengers when the vessel capsized in strong currents near Batu Bolong in Komodo National Park.

The boat was carrying 30 people, including 25 passengers and five crew members. Twenty-four passengers and all five crew were rescued, including 21 foreign nationals.

Veronica was the only person who remained missing.

Reports from the scene said she may have been inside a toilet when the vessel overturned, although search teams have not confirmed her exact location.

Her family arrived in Labuan Bajo the following day. Nine relatives, including her parents and siblings, later joined the search operation and held prayers near the area where the boat sank.

Cheryl said the family still hoped Veronica would be found, but they were also trying to accept the uncertainty surrounding the search.

She said the family took some comfort in knowing that Veronica had been doing the work she loved.

The search entered its third day on Thursday, with more than 100 personnel and 15 vessels involved in operations around Batu Bolong, Tatawa Kecil and surrounding waters.

Search teams have deployed divers as well as underwater and thermal drones in an effort to locate Veronica and the sunken vessel.

The official SAR operation is scheduled to continue for seven days. Veronica’s family said they plan to remain in Labuan Bajo and continue joining the search throughout that period.

For those closest to her, the waiting has been painful, but the image they hold onto is of someone whose life had become inseparable from the ocean.

Veronica had come to Labuan Bajo to pursue the work she loved. Now, as the search continues, her family is staying close to the same sea that had shaped so much of her life.