Man visiting from Guatemala drowns while swimming across Lake Berryessa
LAKE BERRYESSA, Calif. - A man's body was recovered from Lake Berryessa in Napa County Sunday evening about 2.5 hours after he drowned, said Henry Wofford, a spokesman for the Napa County Sheriff's Office.
The Napa County Cororner's Office on Monday identified the victim as 25-year-old Marcos Salvador Grijalva Pocasangre of Guatemala. According to the sheriff's office, he was visiting family in San Pablo.
The man's friends contacted the Sheriff's Office around 4:30 p.m. Sunday and said their friend disappeared while trying to swim across the lake from the Oak Shores Day Use Area at 5560 Knoxville Road, Wofford said.
In addition to the sheriff's deputies, Cal Fire, American Medical Response and California Highway Patrol's Air Operations all reported to the scene.
The agencies went through their standard protocols using technology to search for the missing man from the air and on boats outfitted with sonar equipment, Wofford said.
The man's friends, who witnessed his drowning, gave authorities his approximate location in the lake, Wofford said.
Once his location was narrowed down, divers from the Sheriff's Office Underwater Search and Recovery Team searched for his body, which was recovered around 7 p.m.
His body was located about 12 feet underwater, roughly 15 feet from McKenzie Ridge, Wofford said.
Authorities did not release the name of the victim immediately until next of kin were notified. There were no signs of trauma to the victim's body.
People often assume that it is inexperienced swimmers who drown in Lake Berryessa, Wofford said, but this is the second weekend in a row an experienced swimmer has drowned in the lake.
Last summer, he said, six experienced swimmers drowned in the lake over the course of six months.
Some swimmers, who are visiting the lake for their first time and used to swimming in swimming pools, will misgauge the lake's currents or underestimate how fatigued they will get, Wofford said.
KTVU contributed to this report.