Search for missing boater resumes Monday morning

WINDERMERE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The search for a missing boater continues this Monday morning in Windermere.

Orange County deputies say several people on a boat jumped into Lake Downs for a swim, when everyone came back except a 37-year-old man.

Friends told deputies that they tried to throw him a life preserver, but it drifted out of reach and they never saw him again. They also said that they heard him call for help and then disappear under the water. They think he must have experienced some sort of emergency.

Lt. Ken Taylor of the Orange County Sheriff's Office says that "everyone on the boat said that he is an experienced swimmer."

The search has been ongoing since 5 p.m. on Sunday evening. Some search boats remained at the lake overnight. Divers resumed their search this Monday morning. Deputies say that this is no longer a rescue mission, but a recovery effort.