NAPLES, Fla. — The United States Coast Guard is currently searching for a man who went missing while free diving 70 miles off the coast of Naples.
The Coast Guard tells FOX 4 they received a EPIRB signal at 9:15pm ET on Thursday.
The first units to respond were out of the Fort Myers Beach Station. The Clearwater Station also responded. Air and sea units went to search the area where the beacon signal went off.
The Coast Guard says that the missing free diver is Drake Sweet and he was out on a 21 foot personal vessel with a friend. The friend reported Sweet went down and did not come up for several minutes and that's when he activated the beacon.
The boat later returned to Higel Marina in Venice but the search continues.
The Coast Guard confirmed that the conditions were calm and there was minimal wind at the time. The depth at where they were diving was approximately 130 feet.
#Breaking @USCG air and surface crews are searching for Drake Sweet who reportedly failed to resurface while free diving with a friend approx. 69 miles west of Naples, Thurs. afternoon. The friend and vessel are safely ashore. The search is ongoing at this time. #SAR pic.twitter.com/efEpeMlzKM
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) March 14, 2025
The search is currently ongoing.
