A 21-year-old jet-skier is missing and presumed drowned after falling into the water near Seaford in East Sussex.
The alarm was raised at about 1945 BST on Tuesday, when a man said his friend from Newhaven had not resurfaced after falling off his machine.
Solent Coastguard said the search by coastguard and lifeboat teams had been called off after a jet-ski was recovered on Wednesday.
A helicopter was used to scour the area before the search was ended.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: "The 21-year-old local man is still missing at sea in what appears to be a tragic accident."
A coroner's investigation is due to be carried out and police underwater search teams are expected to visit the area where the man was seen to fall.
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