Body of lost paddleboarder found; Sanibel kayaker still missing

The body of a missing paddleboarder was found this afternoon off a beach on Sanibel Island.

Chad Winter, 19, was found about 300 yards offshore in 10 feet of water along Algiers Beach, according to a statement from the Sanibel Police Department.

There has been no cause of death determined and Winter's family have been notified, according to the statement. Tomlinson said there was an indication Winter had a medical condition that caused blackouts and may have suffered an episode prior to his death.

Winter was on vacation from Illinois and was with his girlfriend before the accident, Tomlinson said. A Facebook page believed to be Winter's listed his hometown as Woodstock, Illinois.

Chief William Tomlinson extended condolences to the families involved. "It is a tragic loss for all those who knew and loved Chad." The family had been notified and was in Southwest Florida Tuesday.

Our partners at WINK News spoke with a witness who was at the scene Monday. "The girl came running up and said her friend had fallen off the wakeboard and she came and got a couple other people. Then they walked down here and I came down here and five boats came in really fast. I mean quick and there was a helicopter," said Jim Konsti.

1 p.m. update

A pair of missing water sportsmen left authorities baffled Monday as one search was called off and another began near Sanibel Island.

Andrew Barber, 32, went missing after kayaking with another man Friday night. The search for Barber was suspended by the Coast Guard Sunday evening after two full days. An unidentified 19-year-old paddleboarder also went missing on Monday afternoon and crews were searching into the evening.

Around 11 p.m. Friday, another man called 911 to report Barber had gone missing after the kayak they were in overturned. Kyle Woolwine was able to swim to safety, Barber was not.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Andrew," said Captain Gregory Case, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, in a statement. "We have made the difficult decision to suspend the search for Andrew. Our Coast Guard crews searched diligently alongside numerous agencies for two days, and despite our best efforts we were unable to rescue him."

The search covered some 1,946 square nautical miles.

Barber was recently hired at Fort Myers-based company Executive Leadership Solutions, said managing partner Brian Wright. "Everybody is in shock here," Wright said of the small company that searches for executives for other companies.

Wright said Barber's best friend—who also works at the company—recommended he hire him and Wright did in October of this year. A message left with Barber's friend at the company was not returned.

"He was the guy everybody just loved," Wright said. Barber was described as hard-working and the "small, close-knit" company is devastated at the idea he may be gone.

An account on LinkedIn—a social networking site for professionals—belonging to Barber confirmed he was hired at Executive Leadership Solutions in October and worked at a number of other Southwest Florida businesses.

With water and air temperatures dropping, kayaking safety takes on increased importance, said Stefan Kuenzel, owner of Kayak Excursions in Sanibel.

It was a good idea for Barber to take another person with him kayaking, Kuenzel said, but their safety missteps were many. "Neither one had life jackets," Kuenzel said of what he was hearing about the incident. "Even in the middle of the day, in ideal conditions, I always recommend them," he said of life jackets. "They were in less than ideal conditions."

With water temperature in the upper 60s and the air in the mid 50s that night, Kuenzel said the men weren't at immediate risk for hypothermia, but that it could certainly happen eventually.

If the incident was closer to the Everglades, Kuenzel speculated Barber could have washed ashore somewhere, but in the area of the Causeway and San Carlos Bay, it's much less likely that he is stuck somewhere.

With Barber still missing, a search for a second man began Monday afternoon off of Sanibel Island.

A 19-year-old man was paddleboarding when he went missing around 3:30 p.m., according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard. The man went paddleboarding with his girlfriend near Algiers Beach, according to Capt. Rob Popkin of the Sanibel Fire Rescue District.

WINK News contributed to this report