A student undergoing training to become a Navy diver drowned in the St. Andrew Bay in Panama City Beach, Florida, Thursday afternoon, according to
WMBB TV in Panama City, Florida.
Students of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, part of Naval Support Activity Panama City, were reportedly completing a surface swim late Thursday morning when one of the students went missing, the report said.
The student’s body was recovered at 4:30 pm following an extensive search in an area marked with buoys where the maximum depth is reportedly 20 feet.
Coast Guard Station Panama City, personnel from NDSTC, and Bay County Sheriff’s Office participated in the search, the report said.
Per DoD policy, the identity of the student will not be made available until the sailor’s next of kin are notified.
A spokeswoman from NDSTC could provide no further details.
Navy Times will update this story as details emerge.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family during this difficult time,” Navy officials said in the report.