Andrew Dillman was someone you couldn't forget.
"He was one of those people when you met him you just knew he was nice. He was very giving. He was a good friend to people," said Nancy Wilson, a former teacher and assistant principal for Andrew.
"It didn't matter if you knew Andrew a minute or your whole life, it felt like a lifetime with him. He just left an impact on you," said Ryan Cornish, a friend of Andrew's.
Andrew moved to Florida from Rome. He worked at a few different places, and most recently was working on a yacht charter.
"The last time I saw him, physically, was in January, and I've never heard him so happy about something in his life. He's like, 'I love this, I was made to do this,' " said Cornish.
A group of students were aboard last week. Five went swimming, but only four made it back. Authorities say Andrew jumped in to help, but was also swept away. They were caught in the outbound current in the Gulf of Mexico.
Some say Andrew was just being Andrew when he risked it all to save another boater.
"I said, when I heard the news, 'typical Andrew,' " Cornish said. "That's all I could say was 'typical Andrew,' because this is him, that was him. He would put everybody in front of himself. He would not think of the consequences about what would happen to him."
His body was found on Monday.
"It's the worst thing, just wondering and not knowing and feeling helpless; at least now we know he's in a better place," said Cornish.
Those who knew Andrew say they'll never forget how he touched their lives.
"He just was the kind of person that if somebody needed help, he'd help them, and didn't make a big deal out of it," Wilson said. "And to me, I'm gonna put that forward in my life to try to be like that. More like him."
"I just want everybody to know [that] he loved everybody,” said Cornish. “He was a great guy."
Authorities say Andrew’s body was found about three miles west of Egmont Key. The other boater has not yet been found.