UPDATE, 7/7/21: Officials from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) confirmed this morning that the victim is a 47-year-old St. Martinville man. His identity has not been released, though News 10 is working with family members locally to confirm his identity publicly.

“Family members say he dove under the water and never resurfaced,” said OCSO Public Information Officer Michele Nicholson. “Lifeguards located him about 75 yards off the beach. They were unable to revive him.”

ORIGINAL POST: DESTIN, FL. (KLFY) A Louisiana man was pulled unconscious from the Gulf of Mexico near Destin Tuesday after family members say he entered the water and disappeared from view a short time later.

According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, around 9:30 a.m. deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call for a distressed swimmer in the Gulf of Mexico off 1001 Highway 98 East in Destin.

A short while later, according to deputies, a man was pulled from the water and lifesaving measures were immediately taken. However he was declared dead a short time later at a local emergency room.

So far, the drowning victim has not been identified.