DESTIN, Fla. (WKRG) — Authorities recovered on Monday the body of a man who was pulled under the waters of Crab Island and drowned Sunday, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post. The OCSO has not identified the man or given his age but did express “sincere sympathies to the young man’s family and friends.”
The search began Sunday after the OCSO, Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Coast Guard responded to a stranded boat and rescued four others from the water. A Florida Fish and Wildlife helicopter joined the search for the missing man. The man’s body was not found until Monday morning.
The OCSO said the man and friends were on a rented pontoon boat Sunday. When they started having trouble with the boat, the man and several friends jumped in the water. That’s when the strong current swept him away from the boat and pulled him under the water.
The OCSO shared a video with their Facebook post about the search. The video warns of many dangers at Crab Island.
“Strong currents and drop-offs are hazards all visitors to Crab Island need to be aware of – so we are re-sharing this video for education purposes as we pray for the missing man, his friends and his family, which lives out of the country,” according to the Facebook post.
Crab Island is a large sandbar off Destin. It’s popular with boats and quickly fills with during holidays like Memorial Day.
It was a deadly weekend in the waters of the Gulf Coast. A man died snorkeling in Fort Morgan Saturday evening. And on Friday, Orange Beach Police responded to a swimmer in distress call. The man’s body was found Sunday.
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