Teams search for swimmer missing in Lake Powell

CARILLON BEACH — A massive search was launched Saturday afternoon after a Walton County man was reported missing while he was swimming in Lake Powell.

Divers searched until sunset for the body of Mark Digesu, 47.

“A friend called me at about 3 and said Mark went missing,” said friend, Tyler Sluga, 21, of Panama City Beach.

Sluga lingered at Philips Inlet late Saturday afternoon as divers searched the murky water for any sign of Digesu.

Sluga was still in disbelief at what the caller told him about his friend’s disappearance.

“I was told he was just out with his girlfriend and his dogs enjoying the day when his boat broke loose from the shoreline,” Sluga said. “He swam out to get it and went under before he made it to the boat.”

A news release from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said the search will resume this morning with the Bay and Walton County sheriff’s offices, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Bay County Fire Department and the Coast Guard.

Sluga said Digesu’s friends and family were organizing their own search to begin early today. He said anyone who wanted to help should call one another to learn where the group will meet.

 “It doesn’t add up,” Sluga said. “Mark’s been in the Coast Guard for several years and he can swim better than anyone I know.”