HIRAM - Game wardens searched the Saco River on Tuesday night after a Baldwin man disappeared beneath the water during an afternoon swim.

A Maine Warden Service spokeswoman said 33-year-old Stephen Hawks was swimming with his wife when he went under about 4 p.m.

Hawks' wife was able to swim back to shore but she could see no sign of her husband, said spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte.

His wife wasn't immediately identified by officials. Wardens and others searched the river by boat and along the riverbanks until the operation was suspended at about 9 p.m.

Turcotte said the man was last seen swimming near the Hiram Dam.

"He was attempting to swim across the river, according to information given to us," she said. "When he reached the middle, some sort of issue arose."

Investigators believe Hawks may have been overpowered by the current, Turcotte said.

That particular stretch of the Saco River is a popular swimming spot and is known for drownings and other mishaps, although specific numbers were not available Tuesday night.

The recovery effort will resume at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Turcotte said. Wardens and six divers will use airboats, watercraft and aircraft in its efforts to locate Hawks.