The body of a 25-year-old man who went missing in the Grand River near Caledonia has been recovered.

Brant County OPP say the body of Cody Thomson, 25, of Hamilton was located in the Grand River late Friday afternoon.

Thomson went missing around 7:20 p.m. Thursday near Highway 54 and Onondaga Townline Road, after falling off a Sea-Doo personal watercraft.

According to police, he was not wearing a personal floating device (PFD) at the time of the incident.

CTV News spoke with a man who identified the victim as his friend.

He said his friend just wanted to try out his new Sea-Doo, and fell off when he stood up and made a turn.

The search began Thursday night and continued Friday with the OPP Aviation Services, OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit (USRU), members of the Brant County OPP, Brant County Marine Unit, Haldimand County Marine Unit, Emergency Response Team (ERT), the Provincial Liaison Team (PLT) and Six Nations Police Service involved in the search.

Police say proper safety equipment, including a personal floating device, should be worn when on the water.

“There’s no good reason not to wear a life jacket. It’s unfortunate, and it does happen all too common in our waterways in the west region,” said Derek Rogers, OPP regional media relations coordinator. "It makes me sad that accidents can be preventable.

"Make sure you have your life jackets, whistels, and your baylers on your boats. Boating can be fun, but make sure you're safe."