Coast Guard Ends Search for Missing Florida Paddleboarder: ‘Heavy hearts’

The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the missing Miami paddleboarder who disappeared near Key Biscayne.

Luciano Mercenari, 29, was last seen Monday leaving Cape Florida around 5:15 p.m. to spearfish on his paddleboard near his home. A Good Samaritan found his aqua and orange board and bag of waterproof dry goods on Tuesday, but there was no sign of Mercenari. The resurfaced board appeared wrinkled and tattered in a photo provided by the Coast Guard.

“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, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Miami, said Friday in a news release. “We are grateful to our local and state partners for their assistance in this united effort.”

Surface and air rescue crews searched about 2,219 square miles, an area about the size of the state of Delaware, and approximately 67 asset hours for Mercenari with no success, the Coast Guard says. Weather conditions during the search were 10 to 20-knot winds with calm seas.

The Coast Guard issued a flyer with photos of Mercenari, who had short brown hair and trimmed facial hair. He was last seen wearing a light gray long-sleeved “Reef Cheefs” rash guard shirt with gray shorts and was listed as 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing about 200 pounds.

Mercenari’s Facebook page includes many photos of him diving underwater, spearfishing, and paddleboarding. He also listed himself as vice president of a general contractor construction and development business in Key Biscayne.

Anyone with information new about Luciano’s disappearance is asked to call the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami at (305) 535-4300.

Last week, three Alabama men drowned during an evening swim at a Florida panhandle beach after getting caught in a rip current. The Coast Guard was able to find all three men, but they all died upon arriving at the hospital.

A Pennsylvania couple also lost their lives swimming off Hutchinson Island on Florida’s southeast coast last week. Two of their teenage kids were able to escape a deadly rip current but were unsuccessful in saving their parents.

Beachgoers should be aware of the danger of rip currents as they can reach speeds up to eight feet per second, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last week alone, rip currents in Florida claimed the lives of at least six people.

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