Authorities will continue to look for two drowning victims in two lakes simultaneously Tuesday morning as the search continues for both 50-year-old Dennis Jones on Cayuga Lake and 46-year-old Thomas Goff on Owasco Lake.

Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould said three boats including two with sonar scanners will return to Owasco Lake to search for Goff, who is thought to have drowned while rescuing his family from a capsized raft on Owasco Lake July 25, and approximately five boats would keep searching for Jones, who is believed to have fallen overboard and drowned early Sunday morning, while securing his boat's anchor. Both searches will begin between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Volunteers were unable to find the body of Thomas Goff, of Newark Valley, during Thursday's search, which included members of the Scipio and Fleming fire departments as well as the sheriff's marine patrol.

With Friday's bad weather, searchers were given a break for the weekend.

“It's tougher in Owasco Lake because of the depth,” Gould said. The problem in Cayuga Lake is seaweed, rendering the sonar useless there.

Gould said crews began searching for Dennis M. Jones immediately after his family called 911 to report that he had fallen overboard on Sunday. The search began again at 8 a.m. Monday but was called off as the sun began to set around 7 p.m.

Gould said Jones and his family were watching the Cayuga Waterfront Festival's fireworks less than 200 yards away from the village of Cayuga's Harris Beach when he fell into the water shortly before 12:21 a.m. Sunday.

Jones' daughter grabbed a life preserver and jumped in after her father, but was unable to reach him in time, Gould said.

While the water is between 10 to 20 feet deep, Gould said the amount of seaweed has made it difficult to find Jones' body in the dark.

Sonar used by two state police boats was unable to help with the search because of the seaweed, he said.

Several of the people searching Cayuga Lake Monday spent the previous week searching for Goff in Owasco Lake. Divers from Onondaga, Seneca and Cayuga counties will continue their work Tuesday.

“We tried to give these guys some rest over the weekend but we needed to come out to Cayuga Lake for this search,” Gould said. “A lot of these people are certainly tired, but they are still giving up time with their families to help other families who are suffering right now.”

He said the volunteers get very little credit for their efforts and are away from their own families day and night, devoting their personal time and vacations to the searches.

“Words cannot say what people are doing for the families of these victims,” he said. “Credit should be given to people donating food, breakfasts, lunches and dinners.”

Although the search is beginning early on Tuesday, rain is predicted for the evening. Rain doesn't affect the search, Gould said, but thunder and lightning do.

“We'll be out as long as we have volunteers and the weather cooperates,” he said, “as long as it takes. I have faith.”