*** UPDATED STORY: Coast Guard's search for missing teens active, ongoing

The story below contains updates on the ongoing search from Tuesday, July 28, 2015.

On Day 5 of search for two Florida teenagers missing at sea, one volunteer pilot from Brevard County found a floating object Tuesday near the area where the missing boys' boat was found capsized Sunday off the coast of Ponce Inlet.

Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos were last seen Friday fueling up their boat in Jupiter for a fishing trip. The search now extends up to South Carolina.

Gary Varley, owner of Merritt Island-based Beachside Helicopters, was asked to fly over the search area in his amphibious chopper, which can land on water during an emergency.

Coast Guard officials have begun examining pictures Varley took of an object he found Tuesday.

"We did come across this small, pink inflatable, which we don't know at this stage whether its relevant to the search, but it's the only thing we did find," Varley said.


(Gary Varley)

The 14-year-old boys' boat was found about 67 nautical miles from Ponce Inlet. Varley said he found the pink object 35 miles from the coast of New Smyrna Beach, within a 50-mile radius of where the capsized boat was found on Sunday.

Perry Cohen's stepfather, Nick Korniloff, said Tuesday the boys were not supposed to be in the ocean, only in rivers and waterways.

Now, the Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Navy have launched a massive search, with volunteers like Varley helping.

"You're in the helicopter, and you're really really concentrating, looking to find something, but in the back of your mind, you don't want to find something, because you know it's probably going to be something bad," Varley said, describing his mixed emotions about the search. "But you do want to find something, because you know it's going to help progress the search."

Because the ocean waters have been warm, Coast Guard officials said they were optimistic Tuesday, as was Varley.

"I think it's search and rescue," Varley said, adding he believes it's possible the boys are still alive.

The search is expected to continue into Wednesday. Varley said if asked — and weather permitting — he will be back out over the ocean, along with other volunteer search crews.

Previous updates (most recent on top)

3:30 p.m. - Gulf Stream concerns

The Coast Guard said the total search area as of Tuesday afternoon was about the size of West Virginia. Experts say if the teens are caught up in the Gulf Stream, there is no telling how wide the search area could get.

Meteorologist Jamie Martin explains: The Gulf Stream moves very quickly for a body of water. It travels about 5.6 mph on the surface, and that is where the boys would be on the surface. With that, they could travel up to 130 miles each day just drifiting in the Gulf Stream.

The Gulf Stream is very close to the shore in South Florida, around Boynton Beach, just a few miles off. But once you get up toward Georgia and South Carolina, it is much further offshore, and that is going to make that wide area even harder to pinpoint the boys.

And time may be running out for the two young fishermen. Even with the warm waters of the Gulf, a Coast Guard official said a person could only survive about 5 days on the water.

3:06 p.m. - Vigil planned in Cocoa Beach

Concerned and caring locals will be gathering with their own candles and lanterns at the Cocoa Beach Pier from 8–9 p.m. Tuesday to pray for the safe return of the two missing teens.

12:30 p.m. - Object found in Georgia not related to search

An object was spotted earlier Tuesday near Brunswick, Georgia, but the Coast Guard later determined it to be a piece of Styrofoam and not a cooler from the missing boys' boat.

11:35 a.m. - Coast Guard still optimistic

The Coast Guard says it's still optimistic the two teenagers missing at sea can be found alive.

Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss said Tuesday that three Coast Guard cutters, a Navy ship and an airplane are still searching from the waters off Daytona Beach, Florida, north through Savannah, Georgia, and that they have no immediate plans to stop.

Though he conceded the probability of finding someone alive decreases as time passes, he notes others have survived longer at sea.

"We know it can happen and we're hoping it happens again," he says.

He says the Coast Guard is constantly looking at a mix of factors to determine whether the search should continue.

10:30 a.m. - Stepdad says teens strayed from agreed-upon route

The stepfather of one of the Florida boys lost at sea says the teens were not supposed to be on the ocean.

Nick Korniloff says his 14-year-old stepson Perry Cohen and the boy's friend Austin Stephanos were supposed to remain on the Loxahatchee River and the Intracoastal Waterway during their fishing outing Friday. He says he doesn't believe the boys were heading to the Bahamas, as some have speculated, but that they obviously ended up in the deep waters they were supposed to steer clear of.

Still, Korniloff says "if there are any two 14-year-old boys out there qualified, it's Perry and Austin."

The stepfather says private planes are surveying the waters off Florida and Georgia outside the area the Coast Guard is searching. He's also encouraging people to head to their beaches to look for any clues that might wash ashore.

7:55 a.m. - Moms say boys have skills to survive

The mothers of the two boys who went missing while fishing off Florida's coastline say they believe their sons have the knowledge and skills needed to survive in the water.

Speaking Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show, Pamela Cohen says she believes her son, Perry Cohen and his friend Austin Stephanos are "doing everything they can to stay afloat." The 14-year-olds have been missing since Friday when they took a 19-foot boat into the Atlantic to fish.

Carly Black said her son Austin has been around the water since he was born. Both said their sons learned to swim before they could walk.

Responding to criticism that the teens were too young to operate a boat alone, Pamela Cohen said the boys had been around boats their entire lives and life on the water is second nature to them. She compared it to kids who live on a farm and drive tractors or children who live in the mountains and learn to hunt at a young age.

The mothers said they don't believe their boys were heading to the Bahamas, as has been widely reported. Instead, they believe they were fishing offshore when the weather turned bad and "something went amiss."

7:15 a.m. - Search expands from Cape Canaveral to Savannah

The U.S. Coast Guard has expanded its search for two 14-year-old Florida boys who went missing while on a fishing expedition.

Petty Officer Anthony Soto said Tuesday that crews are searching in the Atlantic Ocean as far north as Savannah, Georgia, and as far south as Cape Canaveral for Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos.

The pair was reported missing from Jupiter, Florida, on Friday afternoon. They were last seen purchasing $110 worth of gas for their 19-foot boat and were believed to be heading toward the Bahamas. Their capsized boat was found Sunday morning off the coast of Ponce Inlet, more than 180 miles north of where they started their journey.

The search has continued day and night.

Soto said three Coast Guard cutters and a C-130 Hercules airplane searched throughout Monday night for the boys.

6:15 a.m. - Search enters Day 5

It has been almost four full days since the boys were last seen, but the boys' families aren't losing hope. Coast Guard officials said they continue to actively search for the teens, stating it's possible they are able to survive four to five days in the warm ocean water.

Since Friday, the Coast Guard has searched more than 28,000 square nautical miles — an area about the size of West Virginia. The search has extended as far north as Jacksonville.

Capt. Mark Fedor, of the Coast Guard, said several agencies, including the U.S. Navy, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local authorities, are involved in the search.

Five Coast Guard Cutters, aircraft from three Coast Guard stations and a Navy ship are all actively searching for the teens.

Family and friends continue to be as proactive as possible in the search, including social media posts asking for anyone along the Atlantic coast to look for signs of the teens.

Hundreds gathered Monday night for a candlelight vigil in Palm Beach County.

"I believe that they went out fishing like they said they were," said Carly Black, who is Austin Stephanos' mother. "There was a storm that came through that afternoon around (2 p.m.) They were out there. I think the boat capsized — not sure when or where — but I think they just ... they had a mishap somewhere along the line."

The search is like finding a needle in a haystack, Coast Guard officials said. It's unclear if the boys were wearing life jackets, but search-and-rescue crews recovered one life jacket near the capsized boat.

Family and friends continue to walk beaches for any sign of debris and are using private plans to scan the water despite the Coast Guard advising against it.

Cohen's stepfather, Nick Korniloff, said the two boys are experienced fishermen who would take trips to the Bahamas.

"They've been through rough water. They've been through thin water," said Korniloff. "It doesn't matter; those are salty dog kids. They know what they're doing out there, and so we believe that they're out there."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos

A picture of the boat Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos were using, recovered off the coast of Volusia County, Sunday, July 26, 2015.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said the boat the two teens were on was a 19-foot, single-engine vessel with a center console. A family flier released Monday included this picture of the boat.


Florida boating age limits and regulations

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

  • There is no minimum age to operate a boat. However, the personal watercraft regulations and boating safety requirements below are age specific and would apply.
  • A person must be at least 14 years of age to operate a personal watercraft in Florida.
  • A person must be at least 18 years of age to rent a personal watercraft in Florida.
  • Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 is required to either have successfully completed a National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved boating education course or have passed a course equivalency or temporary certificate examination and have in their possession a boating education ID card and a photo identification card before operating a vessel with a motor of 10 HP or more in Florida. Identification cards for persons completing the course or the equivalency exam are good for a lifetime. Temporary Certificate exams are made available to the public through contractors. The temporary certificate is valid for 12 months from the issue date.

A monetary reward of $100,000 for any information on the missing teens has been offered by Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Joe Namath, who is a family friend and neighbor to the boys.


Coast Guard crews search an area of about 25,000 square nautical miles — about the same size as the state of Indiana. (U.S. Coast Guard)