HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. — Divers recovered the body of a missing boater who disappeared underneath the water at the Hernando Beach Boat Ramp off Shoal Line Boulevard.
The man, a 69-year-old from West Virginia who had a vacation home in Pasco County, jumped into the water to retrieve a phone following a day of boating, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said in a statement after deputies spoke with witnesses Wednesday afternoon.
The man, who was not immediately identified, had been out on the water since 9 a.m. with two other friends and returned to the boat ramp around 3:30 p.m. While working to remove the boat from the water, one of the men dropped their phone before the 69-year-old said he'd go in the water to retrieve it.
He took a pair of goggles and jumped feet first, deputies said.
A woman approached the group a few minutes later and told them she saw him go into the water but had not resurfaced.
"Several people then entered the water in hopes of locating the victim, meeting with negative results," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office's marine and aviation units, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission crew, and others from the Hernando County Fire Rescue and Coast Guard then began a search.
The man's body was found around 8:36 p.m. near where he entered the water, the sheriff's office said.
An investigation is underway into his cause of death. So far, authorities said it appears to be accidental or related to a medical episode as they learned he had heart disease and a pacemaker.