UPDATE: Body of missing swimmer located near Crab Island

UPDATE

The body of a 24-year-old, who went missing earlier today near Crab Island, has been located.

According to a press release from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission discovered the male's body in eight feet of water near the area where he was last seen earlier today. Divers from the OCSO recovered the body at 5:08 p.m., north of the Marler Bridge.

A boater reported hearing a distressed swimmer yelling for help on the east side of Crab Island around 2:30 p.m., the release states. The boater threw the man a flotation device and then riders on a wave runner pulled him to safety. However, another individual spotted in the water went under and did not resurface.

The OCSO, Coast Guard, Florida Fish & Wildlife, and Okaloosa Island Fire Department assisted in the search effort for the missing swimmer.

His identity is being withheld, pending notification of next of kin.

Original story

An active search is underway in the waters around Crab Island for a swimmer who reportedly went under and did not resurface this afternoon.

An emergency call came in around 2:30 p.m. Monday stating that two swimmers near the east side of Crab Island were having difficulties.

Initial reports indicate one individual was rescued by someone on a wave runner and pulled to safety. However the second person, a black male in his twenties, could not be located. He was reportedly last seen approximately 100 yards north of the Marler Bridge.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Destin Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife personnel as well as members of the OCSO Dive Team are currently on the scene.

Additional updates will be provided as developments warrant.