Search efforts have been scaled back and will resume at the end of August or early September when the water volume flowing into the Merced River is down, allowing divers to search the pool at the bottom of the falls.

On July 30, Chokshi, a design engineer at Advanced Micro Devices, had gone hiking with his four roommates along the popular mist trail in Yosemite. The plan was to hike up to the Nevada fall. Chokshi's friends recall it being a long and tiring hike. So when the group reached Emerald Pool en route, Chokshi crossed a safety barrier to cool off in the water there. This mistake proved to be fatal.

Recalling the incident is still painful for Pranav Vasavada, Chokshi's roommate and longtime friend.

"By the time I reached the top of the falls, Chintan had already crossed the barricade. The rocks there looked dry--not dangerous at all. Just before he bent down to splash some water on his face, he pulled out his cap and threw it to me." But seconds after Vasavada caught the cap, Chokshi lost his footing and fell into the icy cold water.

"But he seemed to be regaining his balance because we saw him getting up." Unfortunately, the currents in the pool were so strong that Chokshi lost his balance again, fell down and was swept over the falls.

Park officials say that the likelihood of survival is small because of rocks at the bottom and the water's tremendous force.

The surviving friends say they felt helpless. Vasavada, Mardav Wala, Gopal Thakkar and Chokshi all studied engineering at the Nirma Institute of Technology at Ahmedabad, in western India.

All four came to the United States around the same time to pursue master's degrees and later found jobs at high-tech companies in the Bay Area. For the past year, these longtime friends have been sharing an apartment on Fair Oak Avenue in Sunnyvale.

"We just did not have the time to react. It was all over in 10 seconds," Wala says, his voice choked with emotion. "I remember us screaming and telling him to hold on to something. But there was nothing in the water for him to hold on to. There was nothing we could do to help him."

Chokshi's friends and some relatives in the U.S. have organized search parties several times to look for him. "But we have found no trace of Chintan, no piece of clothing, no shoes, nothing," Wala says.

"The worst part is updating his parents (who live in Ahmedabad). They are devastated. But they also strongly believe that he's going to come back soon," says Vasavada, his voice breaking.

Vasavada says that he too hopes for a miracle. "But having been there and seen the force of that water, I know that it's practically impossible."

Chokshi's father, a bank official, will be retiring soon, and Chokshi's sister lives in the United Kingdom. Chokshi was set to go to India in December to become engaged to a girl he had met on one of his earlier visits.

Without closure to the incident, his friends relive the accident.

"I've not had a decent night's sleep," says Vasavada.

Living in the same house that's full of Chokshi's memories is painful. "We see his things all around the apartment. It's difficult for us to go into his bedroom," he says. "We just can't sleep."