A 22-year-old man from Florida died after drowning while snorkelling in the state’s St. Johns River over the weekend, according to authorities.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) responded to the scene around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday after the man’s girlfriend and several other witnesses reported he’d gone missing underwater after struggling to swim about 50 feet offshore, according to a press release from police.
The victim was identified as Samuel Oche of Daytona Beach.
“His girlfriend tried to rescue him, and multiple witnesses jumped in to help, but they lost their hold on him in the current and then lost sight of him,” the release added.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Air One responded to assist in the search for Oche.
“Boat sonar later detected a possible location of the victim’s body. Around 8 p.m., the VSO dive team recovered the victim from the river,” the release said.
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“The Sheriff’s Office sends sincere condolences to Samuel’s loved ones for their tragic loss.”
The St. Johns River is the longest river in Florida, flowing around 500 kilometres from its headwaters at Blue Cypress Lake in Indian River County to its mouth, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean east of Jacksonville, according to St. Johns RiverKeeper.
Earlier this month, a 70-year-old fisherman died after he fell out of his boat and into the St. Johns River, News 6 Orlando reports.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it was originally notified of a “boating incident” in Volusia County and investigators explained that a man had been fishing from his vessel near the Lemon Bluff boat ramp when he fell into the water.
“A good Samaritan recovered the man from the water; he was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Sadly, he died from his injuries,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the outlet.
About 20 years ago, when I lived in Florida, a paralegal lady I knew accepted a jet ski ride across the St. John’s River and back from a friend. She had a cut on her foot, apparently and an infection from the river entered the cut and she died less than a day later. The City of Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce freaked out and convinced most area newspapers to omit the story. Too many Military bases on that river to keep it clean.
Some guy died, this is your US news from Global News.
You would think they could find something slightly more interesting, like how the new “supreme leader” already got his leg blown off, or the NBC poll that showed that ICE is more popular in the USA than the Democrat party.