ON AUGUST 20, 2011, AT APPROXIMATELY 4:30 P.M., A THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG WEST WINDS CAME UP NEAR THE CAMP OF two folks.  AN INFLATABLE INNER TUBE BLEW INTO THE WATER AND OPERATOR2 WENT TO RETRIEVE IT USING A PWC.  OPERATOR2 BOARDED THE PWC AND WAS OPERATING WITHOUT A PFD.  THE PWC WAS INOPERABLE, BUT BEGAN FLOATING INTO THE BAY WITH OPERATOR2 STILL ABOARD.  OPERATOR1 GOT ONTO THE OTHER PWC TO RETRIEVE THE INNER TUBE AND ASSIST OPERATOR2.  HE WAS ALSO OPERATING WITHOUT A PFD. 

IN APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES, OPERATOR1 WAS ABLE TO RETRIEVE THE INNER TUBE AND RETURN IT TO SHORE AND THEN WENT TO ASSIST OPERATOR2.  THE PWC OPERATOR2 WAS UTILIZING HAD A TOW ROPE TIED AROUND THE HANDLEBARS AND OPERATOR1 MANAGED TO TIE THE OTHER END TO THE REAR HANDLE OF HIS PWC.  OPERATOR1 THEN TRIED TO TOW OPERATOR2'S PWC IN WITH OPERATOR2 ON THE PWC WHEN A WAVE, APPROXIMATELY 18 TO 24 INCHES TALL, HIT OPERATOR2'S PWC AND THREW HIM OVERBOARD INTO THE WATER.  THE TOW ROPE TIED TO OPERATOR1'S PWC POSSIBLY CAUSED THE NOSE OF THE PWC TO DIP IN A DOWNWARD ANGLE WHICH MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE PWC TOSSING OPERATOR2 IN THE WATER.  

OPERATOR1 QUICKLY UNTIED OPERATOR2'S PWC FROM HIS AND NOTICED HIS KEY WAS MISSING.  OPERATOR1 JUMPED INTO THE WATER TO RETRIEVE THE KEY FROM OPERATOR2'S PWC.  DURING THIS TIME, OPERATOR1 WAS YELLING AT OPERATOR2 TO REMOVE HIS HOODED SWEATSHIRT (NO HOODED SWEATSHIRT WAS FOUND ON OPERATOR2'S BODY WHEN RETRIEVED).  AFTER RETRIEVING THE KEY, HE MADE IT BACK TO HIS PWC AND WAS GOING TO ASSIST OPERATOR2, BUT OPERATOR2 NEVER RESURFACED.  AT THE TIME HE WAS SUBMERGED, OPERATOR2 WAS BELIEVED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET FROM THE SHORELINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COVE.  THE DROWnING OCCURRED IN APPROXIMATLEY 10-15 MINUTES FROM THE TIME THE INDIVIDUALS LEFT THE SHORELINE TO THE TIME OPERATOR2 BECAME SUBMERGED.  THE SWEETWATER COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED AND ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 5:16 P.M. AND AN IMMEDIATE SEARCH BEGAN.  ASSISTANCE WAS REQUESTED FROM THE SUBLETTE COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM AND SWEETWATER COUNTY DIVE TEAM.  THE SEARCH WAS SUSPENDED AT 8:00 P.M. AND RESUMED THE NEXT MORNING.  OPERATOR2'S BODY WAS RECOVERED AT 2:00 P.M. ON AUGUST 21, 2011.

GREEN RIVER                   