A search is underway for a missing Vero Beach man who vanished Wednesday after leaving to go fishing on his boat.
So far the Coast Guard says it has searched about 1500 square nautical miles for the missing fisherman.
The missing man's fiancee is praying that somehow he has survived this ordeal.
"Honestly, it's horrible. It's a horrible feeling going through what could be, what could've happened. Just not knowing is the hardest part. Because there's so many things that could have happened," said Candace Bouthiller, the missing fisherman's fiancee.
Bouthiller of Vero Beach is worried about her fiancee, Dale Hossfield, 68, of Vero Beach.
His boat was found on shore in Melbourne in Brevard County after it washed ashore Wednesday evening.
His wallet, keys, cell phone and life vests were found on the boat, and the boat motors were still running.
Hossfield went fishing at about 11 am on Wednesday morning, and passed through the Ft. Pierce Inlet, heading out on the ocean.
What happened to him is unclear.
The Coast Guard says it's possible he fell overboard and the boat continued on without him, leaving him in the water.
"These are always hard cases when we have a person known to be missing. But it's why I joined the Coast Guard and we're gonna continue searching out there and by policy, if we have a person known to be missing we will have an asset on the water or in the air continuously until we stop searching," said Lt. Comm. Daniel Delgado, Coast Guard Sector Miami.
The Coast Guard says based on the water temperature, since the ocean is warm in South Florida, they estimate that it's possible for someone to survive in the water for up to five days.
Lt. Comm. Delgado would not say how much longer the search will go on.
They have several boats and aircraft looking for him.
Bouthiller says Hossfield enjoys fishing, boating and riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
She says he sometimes went fishing alone, but would normally return by 4:30 in the afternoon.
"If anybody sees or knows anything else it would be great if they could keep an eye out for him and let us know. He's a great guy, very caring. He's got a big heart," Bouthiller said.
Anyone with information about Hossfield is asked to contact the Coast Guard Sector Miami Command Center at 305-535-4472.