The United States Coast Guard has called off its search for a man who went missing earlier this week while paddleboarding in Key Biscayne, Florida. The paddleboarder, identified as 29-year-old Luciano Mercenari, was last seen on Monday near Cape Florida on Pines Canal, according to officials. "Suspending an active search and rescue case is never an easy decision, and so it is with heavy hearts that we offer our sincere condolences to Mr. Mercenari’s family and friends,” Capt. Chris Cederholm, the commanding officer at Coast Guard Sector Miami, expressed in a statement obtained by Local 10.

Mercenari's paddleboard and dry bag were discovered Tuesday morning by a Good Samaritan roughly four miles off Haulover Inlet, the Coast Guard stated. The individual reported the findings Tuesday night after realizing the relation to the missing paddleboarder's case, as per a news release by the Coast Guard. Despite intensive search efforts across an approximately 2,219 square-mile area—which is roughly the size of Delaware—the search was ultimately suspended "pending new information," as reported by NBC Miami.

Mercenari, described as a 6-foot-2 man weighing about 200 pounds with dark brown, short-cut hair and facial hair, was last seen wearing a light gray long sleeve "Reef Cheefs" rash guard and gray sports shorts. Air and surface crews had been deployed in the search for Mercenari, who had been out spearfishing on his paddleboard when he went missing, Hoodline reported. The Coast Guard Southeast also issued a tweet urging the public to report any relevant information that might aid in the search, despite the official suspension of the operation.

The Coast Guard has asked that anyone with information pertaining to Mercenari's whereabouts to call the Coast Guard Sector Miami at 305-535-4300. In their online statement posted on X, Capt. Cederholm reiterated the gravity of their decision to halt the active search amidst ongoing efforts to find the missing paddleboarder.

 

"Suspending an active search and rescue case is never an easy decision, and so it is with heavy hearts that we offer our sincere condolences to Mr. Mercenari’s family and friends,” said Capt. Cederholm, @USCG Sector Miami commander. pic.twitter.com/EywAP0AmCN

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) June 28, 2024