POLICE divers will arrive in Cape York today to search waterways near where a young woman went missing more than a week ago. 

The 23-year-old Kowanyama woman disappeared after leaving a residence at Archer River near Coen last Sunday.

An extensive air and land search began on Thursday, with an area of about 800sq km scoured, according to Cairns Inspector Mark Jackson.

He said it was suspended yesterday with the focus to switch to a number of dams in the region.

"This has centred on the last known position of the missing person," he said.

"We've done pretty much all we can given the extremely wide area where she potentially could be.

"We certainly have concerns for her welfare." Insp Jackson said divers were likely to spend several days searching the dams.

"We'll keep searching until we're satisfied we've done all we can to find her," he said.

He said there was plenty of water in the area and the weather had not been particularly harsh so there was a strong chance of survival if she was able to find food.

It was believed the woman had left the Archer River residence with the intention of making her way back to Kowanyama.

However, police said last week she did not have access to transport when she left and had been on foot.

Insp Jackson said the woman's family were "very concerned for her safety".

The search utilised fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, police on quad bikes and local SES workers, and initially focused on a quarry area at Archer River.

Anyone with informationshould contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24 hours a day, or call the Coen police station.

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