ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — 28-year-old Jackson Christman was reported missing on Saturday after going out boating the previous day.
One of Christman's friends ended up finding his boat washed up on the beach.
“When he found that and saw that there was damage on the boat that threw us into the worst-case scenario," his friend Dalton Dunham said.
On Sunday, investigators found his body in the water. Deputies say his boat hit a pylon and flew him into the water. They believe he then hit his head on another pylon.
“If you were to think about Jackson and all that he does, it was just a very shocking event to hear," his best friend Ryan Hoge said.
Hoge says Christman absolutely loved being out on the water or on the beach.
“If he wasn’t working on the water, he wanted to be on the water," he explained.
Christman's friends described him as a kind and adventurous person.
“Probably the easiest person to get along with," Dunham said.
Hoge says he will always think of his friend when he visits the beach or he's out on the water. He says he knows he would want all of them to live a life filled with happiness.
“He would want everybody to be happy. He would want everyone to remember what he tried to instill in everyone just that this place is a beautiful place," Hoge said.
Christman's friends and family planned a celebration of life to honor him Thursday evening at Toasted Monkey on St. Pete Beach.