Rescuers have stopped searching for a seasoned diver who went missing off the coast of Florida this weekend, the US Coast Guard has said.
Drake Sweet, 36, was out diving with a friend around 70 miles west from the coast of Naples on Thursday afternoon when he failed to resurface.
The US Coastguard Southeast division said rescuers scoured approximately 4,275 square miles for Sweet but could not find him.
They announced on Saturday that the search had been called off, with the free diver presumed dead.
He had been on board a 21-foot boat with his friend on Thursday night when he dove into the ocean and never resurfaced.
His friend deployed an emergency beacon, triggering a mass search from the Fort Myers Beach and Clearwater Coast Guard stations.
They searched the area by air and sea, delving into the ocean at depths of around 130 feet.
Rescuers have stopped searching for seasoned free diver Drake Sweet (pictured) who went missing off the coast of Florida this weekend, the US Coast Guard has said
Avid outdoorsman Sweet, 36, pictured above, was out diving with a friend when he failed to resurface on Thursday afternoon, around 70 miles west from the coast of Naples
The US Coastguard Southeast division said rescuers scoured approximately 4,275 square miles for Sweet off the west coast of Naples, Florida, but could not find him
Relatives also launched a fundraiser for a private sector search for Sweet.
‘Drake went missing while freediving on March 13th. Some of his gear was retrieved at the scene however he has not been located,’ they wrote on the GoFundMe page.
‘The outpouring of support, resources and search and rescue teams has been incredible to see.
‘Thank you for your love for Drake. Let’s bring him home.’
The page has so far raised almost $100,000 to fund efforts to find the missing diver.
Photographs shared on missing persons posters of Sweet exhibit his love for the outdoors.
He is pictured holding huge fish which are at least five feet long, and enjoying boating in the sea.
Photographs shared on missing persons posters of Sweet exhibit his love for the outdoors. He is pictured holding huge fish which are at least five feet long, and enjoying boating in the sea
