Authorities identified the victim as 17-year-old Amareon Anthony of Orlando.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — The body of a 17-year-old Orlando swimmer was recovered Saturday morning in Daytona Beach after he disappeared Friday evening in a rip current during a dangerous holiday weekend along Volusia County beaches, authorities said.
Volusia County officials identified the teenager as Amareon Anthony. His death came after a more than 12-hour search that began Friday night and stretched into Saturday morning. The case drew attention because beach crews were already responding to dangerous surf, heavy holiday crowds and another drowning along the same coastline.
Anthony entered the water around 7:30 p.m. Friday near the Main Street Pier area, officials said. He was with a female swimmer when both were caught in a rip current. A lifeguard spotted the pair struggling in the water, and crews were able to rescue the female swimmer. She was treated and taken to a hospital. “He noticed two people struggling down here in the rip current,” AJ Miller of Daytona Beach Safety said. “They found the female and they brought her and she was treated, transported to the hospital.” Anthony was swept away before rescuers could reach him.
The emergency call came in around 7:36 p.m., according to beach safety officials. Daytona Beach Safety, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other responders joined the search. Crews used rescue vessels, Jet Skis, sonar, drones and a helicopter. As night fell, officials suspended some in-water search work because surf conditions and red flag warnings made the operation too dangerous. Search crews continued overnight and resumed broader efforts Saturday morning. Around 9 a.m., a body believed to be Anthony’s washed ashore near the same area where he was last seen. The sheriff’s office later confirmed the identity.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the recovery marked another fatal case during a difficult stretch for beach first responders. “Unfortunately this morning at 9:00, a 17-year-old male washed up on the beach. A drowning victim,” Chitwood said Saturday. Officials said nearly 200 swimmers were rescued from Volusia County waters Friday as rip currents affected the coast. Earlier in the weekend, a 60-year-old man also drowned in Daytona Beach after being pulled from the water in a separate incident. Officials said that case happened at an unguarded beach approach and was not tied to Anthony’s disappearance.
The Fourth of July holiday brought large crowds to Daytona Beach and other Volusia County beach areas. Beach safety officials had warned about rough surf and rip current risks as storms and changing ocean conditions moved through Central Florida. The area around the Main Street Pier is one of Daytona Beach’s most visible oceanfront spots, especially during holiday periods, with tourists, local residents, vehicles and beach patrol units moving through the same stretch. By Saturday, the search scene had shifted from an active rescue operation to a death investigation, with sheriff’s deputies and beach safety officials working to document where the body was found and how the incident unfolded.
No criminal charges had been announced as of Saturday, and officials described the case as an apparent drowning tied to a rip current. The investigation remained open while authorities completed standard recovery and identification procedures. The sheriff’s office said more information would be released when available. Beach safety leaders also reviewed the response timeline, including the first sighting of the swimmers in distress, the rescue of the female swimmer, the overnight search and the morning recovery. The next official updates were expected to come from Volusia County Beach Safety or the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office as their reports are completed.
Witnesses and beachgoers described a tense search that continued as crowds gathered for the holiday weekend. Patrol vehicles and rescue equipment remained visible along the sand as crews scanned the water and shoreline. One beachgoer called the death “heartbreaking,” saying, “A 17-year-old lost his life. It’s terrible.” Officials said the loss was especially painful because rescuers had been dealing with repeated water emergencies in a short period. Chitwood said the weekend had already brought multiple drownings and dangerous conditions, underscoring the strain on lifeguards and first responders assigned to the coast.
By Saturday afternoon, authorities had confirmed Anthony’s identity and the search had ended. The investigation remained active, with final reports from beach safety officials and sheriff’s investigators still pending.
Author note: Last updated July 5, 2026.