On March 6, 2024, at approximately 9:00 a.m., deputies responded after a 911 caller advised a swimmer was carried offshore. Initial reports indicated that the teen was on a paddleboard when pulled offshore by a probable rip current. It is possible that the paddleboard were the property of another person in the area.
Fire rescue crews made the transition from a search and rescue operation to a recovery operation at approximately 10:20 a.m.
At approximately 5:23 p.m., deputies assigned to the Underwater Search and Recovery Team have located the body of the missing swimmer, 17-year-old William Zhang.
According to detectives, Zhang was visiting Florida from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with his swim team for a swim camp. Zhang and several other swim team members were swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, conducting swimming drills. It was discovered Zhang did not return to shore at the end of the drills.
Per detectives, the swim coaches advised that they checked for rip currents or hazards before the swimmers entered the water.
Search efforts were conducted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Indian Shores Police Department, Pinellas Suncoast Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the United States Coast Guard.
The incident does not appear suspicious in nature.
Next of kin has been notified.