A body was seen being taken into the small boat. As the boat made its way back to shore, the body that had been pulled from the water was covered in a yellow blanket.
The National Park Service told the Washington Examiner the D.C. Metro Police Department is overseeing the investigation into the incident.
D.C. police did not return multiple requests for comment and one outlet reported police would not comment on the cause of death or identity of the man.
The paddleboat services were shut down within an hour of the recovery.
The incident comes in the midst of the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin and the final days before the trees reach peak bloom.
A similar incident took place in April 2013, when a corpse was found in the water of the Tidal Basin.