Authorities in Florida are searching for a swimmer, believed to be from Thomasville, who went missing off a Florida island late Sunday afternoon.

Franklin County, Florida, Sheriff A.J. Smith told Florida media outlets the missing swimmer is Bruce Maynor Jr., 29, from Thomasville. 

Smith told the Tallahassee Democrat that Maynor went into the surf to rescue a 12-year-old boy. Maynor handed the boy off to another person and then was taken under by a rip current. 

Units involved in the search include the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, a helicopter from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Panama City, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and St. George Island Fire and Rescue. 

Surf conditions for St. George Island and other areas around the Gulf were listed as severe.