
RESPONSE:

Approximately 10 minutes after receiving the call I arrived at the mouth of Warm Creek and began approaching a houseboat that matched the description of the reporting party vessel which was drifting in the area with multiple other power boats driving around that area, apparently searching for a person.  I contacted the persons on the houseboat and was told that they had lost one of their group.  They stated that approximately 15 minutes before my arrival that the missing person had jumped off the houseboat to go swimming when they had lost sight of him in the water and could not find him.  I asked them where they had been with the houseboat the last time anyone had seen VICTIM and they stated they had been just drifting in the wind since it happened for approximately 10-15 minutes.


INVESTIGATION:

After having the reporting party vessel return to the Wahweap Marina, the individuals from that vessel were interviewed by NPS Ranger and other investigating NPS Personnel.  Each of the four vessel occupants filled out witness statements.  Apparently the group had just picked up their houseboat from the boat rentals and started heading up the lake to find a campsite.  After passing through the Castle Rock Cut and entering the mouth of Warm Creek, they decided to stop and swim.  

Multiple people were jumping off the top deck of the houseboat or going down the slide and swimming.  The winds were strong at the time and they stated that the swimmers would have to grab tow lines in the water from the houseboat after entering the water, as the houseboat was drifting away from them quickly in the wind.  At one point a subject jumped in the water and had the boat drift over him.  He realized that the boat was drifting away from him fast as the wind was increasing and began to panic.  He then saw VICTIM had jumped into the water and was holding on to a rope near the ski boat they were towing behind the houseboat.  PERSON stated that he then called for help and saw VICTIM let go of the rope he was holding and begin to swim towards him.  PERSON stated that VICTIM told him to calm down, then appeared to see how fast the boats were drifting away and then VICTIM began to call for help from the others on the boat.

The others on the boat heard the calls for help and another subject swam from the houseboat to the ski boat.  He untied the ski boat and was going to use it to go pick up VICTIM and PERSON, but the keys were not in the vessel.  He relayed that information to those still on the houseboat and a third person began to attempt to start the houseboat to go and pick up VICTIM and PERSON.  The third person stated he was having trouble getting the engines to start and then called for help from the NPS.  He was able to get one motor started and began heading toward where he had last seen VICTIM and PERSON.

At this same time PERSON stated that VICTIM was approximately 15 feet away from him and as PERSON was watching the houseboat and ski boat to see if they were coming to get them, he looked back toward VICTIM and saw him start to sink under the water.  PERSON stated he tried to dive under to see VICTIM but it was too dark under the water to see him.

BIG WATER                     