JAMESTOWN — The body of a Newport man was recovered yesterday by a team of divers, Jamestown police confirmed last night.

Derrick Cazard, 24, disappeared Monday afternoon after jumping from a rocky outcropping into the surging sea at Fort Wetherill State Park.

Jamestown Sgt. Angela Deneault said divers found the body 45 feet underwater at 5:45 p.m. yesterday, after crews resumed their search. A morning search was called off because of the weather. The dive team included Jamestown police and fire crews.

The state Department of Environmental Management’s environmental police and the Coast Guard also took part in the recovery effort, said Lt. Michael Longtin of the DEM’s environmental police. Cazard’s body will be taken to the state medical examiner.

Cazard, a University of Massachusetts Boston student who was living in Newport for the summer, jumped into the water from about 10 feet up the 40-foot rock around 4:30 p.m., Deneault said. The moon tide and winds blowing from the south for several days made the current in the gorge between the two outcroppings unusually strong.

He treaded water for awhile before he grew tired and went under. He then hit the rocks, Deneault said.

An onlooker grabbed onto him at one point, but let go upon being hit by the surge, fire officials said.

The waters were too rough for divers or a rescue by boat as he floated in and out of the gorge, Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Gladding said. It was unclear if Cazard hit his head on the rocks when he jumped in, he said.

Cazard’s mother, Deborah Saboya, sobbed as she and six family friends climbed out onto the rock yesterday. A friend stroked her back and hair as she wept. The group declined to speak.

Cazard had moved from the Jamaica Plain section of Boston to live with her this summer at 77 Bliss Rd. An only child, he was working at the Viking Hotel as the dining room supervisor.

“To see such a vibrant kid taken away, it’s just a shock,” said Mark Gervais, Viking general manager.

He described Cazard as an energetic, well-liked young man intent on creating the perfect $50 martini.

“It seemed like he’d been here six years, not six weeks,” Gervais said. “He really captured 200 employees.”

Fort Wetherill, with its striking rock formations and crashing waves, is a popular diving and jumping spot, despite signs warning that jumping and diving are prohibited. A DEM ranger and environmental police patrol the area to deter such activities, Mastrati said.

— With reports from staff writers Maria Armental and Donita Naylor

kmulvane@projo.com