Missing swimmer’s body found after hours-long search off Indian Shores

INDIAN SHORES, Fla. - The 17-year-old swimmer who disappeared off Indian Shores Wednesday morning has been found dead, according to investigators. 

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said the 17-year-old swimmer, identified as William Zhang, was found dead by deputies with the underwater search and recovery team a little before 5:30 p.m. They said Zhang was visiting Florida from Quebec, Canada with his swim team for a camp. 

The swimmer and his teammates were swimming drills in the Gulf of Mexico off of Indian Shores' coast Wednesday morning. They later discovered shortly after 9 a.m. that Zhang hadn't returned to shore at the end of the drills, which prompted the hours-long search. 

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PCSO along with the Indian Shores Police Department, Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard all searched for the teen. 

Aerial view of rescue crews searching for a missing swimmer off Indian Shores. 

The swim coaches told detectives that they checked for riptides or hazards before the swimmers got into the water. 

Rick Ross, who was on the beach at the time, said the adult stayed on shore and became concerned about where they were swimming.

"She waved them all in because she was worried about them being out too far," said Ross. "They all came in. Then she ran up the hill and asked me for the address here. I said, ‘What for?’ She said, ‘There’s still one on the water.’"

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Authorities say the conditions were choppy in the Gulf on Wednesday morning. 

Ross said fire-rescue arrived in a matter of minutes. According to him, one of the first responders grabbed a surfboard and paddled out.

Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue Chief Jeffrey Davidson said the water was choppy on Wednesday morning and rip currents were visible. He added that conditions improved as the day went on.

"There was one from the group in the water," Davidson said. "We had visual on that person. Some other people thought they had a visual on the other person, but the seas were so rough and there are so many buoys out there, it was hard to distinguish if it was an actual person. They were a couple of hundred yards off the coast."

Zhang's death isn't being considered suspicious. The investigation into the incident remains active. 

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