Kobi Yedid, 34, of Jerusalem, is the Israeli man who drowned Tuesday evening at a beach in the Cypriot city of Limassol.
Yedid is survived by his wife and four children. The family had been vacationing following his extended reserve duty.
Yedid entered the sea to bathe with members of his family, but at some point disappeared beneath the water. His relatives searched for him for approximately two hours, both along the shoreline and in the sea.
He was eventually spotted floating in the water by a powered paraglider flying over the area, which alerted local rescue forces. Emergency responders recovered him from the sea but were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene.
His sister told Channel 12 News, "Kobi was a man with a huge heart, who knew how to give to others with his whole heart. He was an amazing husband and father to little children, and brought pride and happiness to his parents. He was a man of truth, and he will be greatly missed."
ZAKA said its international unit is working together with Israel's Foreign Ministry and the Cypriot authorities to assist the family in completing the necessary procedures to return Yedid's body to Israel for burial.