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CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. - The body of a kayaker who had been missing for more than a week has been found on Clearwater Beach.
What we know:
A citizen found the body of Elias Guillermo Lara Vargas around 7:40 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said his death does not appear to be suspicious.
The backstory:
According to Dunedin Fire Rescue, Elías Guillermo Lara Vargas and two others left from the Gulf side of Honeymoon Island on January 18, 2026.
First responders said one of the three kayakers made it to shore.
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Vargas, who’s from the Citrus Park Area, and a female kayaker were trying to make it back to land, but the woman’s kayak flipped, and she fell into the water. As Vargas, who was a lifeguard, tried to help her, his kayak also flipped, and he ended up in the water.
The current separated them from their kayaks, which were later found on Caladesi Island.
The person in their group who was on shore called 911 around 6:24 p.m.
Dig deeper:
When Dunedin Fire Rescue’s fire boat got there, the agency’s spokesperson said it had to slow down because of the conditions. There was a small craft advisory, waves were three to five feet high, and winds were more than 20 mph.
The crew heard the female kayaker calling for help and found her in the water off of Dog Beach on the south side of Honeymoon Island. They threw her a rescue ring and were able to bring her on board the boat around 6:45 p.m., warm her up and start treating her for exhaustion and hypothermia.
Clearwater Fire & Rescue’s boat got there not long after and took the woman to a waiting ambulance that brought her to the hospital. It then came back and helped Dunedin, the PCSO, the Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a couple of other fire agencies search for Vargas.
Coast Guard crews searched by air and sea covering approximately 290 square miles. On-scene weather conditions during the search were approximately 10 to 15 mph winds and 3 to 4-foot seas.
The Source: This article was written with information from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and previous FOX 13 News reports.