The hopes of a 26-year-old man's family turned to grief yesterday after divers pulled the body of Maurizio Pena from waters off the Toronto Islands.

Emotional family members held vigil at the Toronto Police Marine Unit, at Queen's Quay W., after the Etobicoke man's body was recovered 15 metres from the shore of Long Pond on Centre Island at 1 p.m.

"He was an outgoing guy ... he was building a life for himself," said Pena's cousin Joe Uribe, prior to the discovery of the body.

Pena went for a swim at Long Pond around 5 p.m. Sunday and did not resurface.

"He wanted to go to school and study psychiatry," said Uribe, who added the drowned man worked at Home Depot.

Family and friends at the vigil surrounded Pena's mother, who collapsed to the ground in tears before being ushered to 52 Division to identify her son's body.

Police said Pena was last seen waving to two friends -- a male and female -- on shore.

Boaters and passersby were flagged to assist frantic friends in finding Pena, but they had no success.

The Marine Unit searched the waters until sunset and resumed yesterday at 8 a.m.

Police said Pena was a competent swimmer but the cold waters and weeds could have played a role in his death.

"It's not uncommon for people to drown in and around the harbour," said Staff Sgt. Ron Tapley. "People don't appreciate how cold it is -- hypothermia sets in within a half hour to 45 minutes."

Tapley said the water is very shallow around Long Pond, but is full of weeds that can entangle swimmers and keeppeople under. An autopsy will be conducted tomorrow.