A 60-year-old Northern California man drowned in Shasta Lake after jumping from a moving boat to retrieve a dog that had jumped into the water, officials announced late last week.
Shasta County sheriff's deputies responded at about 9:12 a.m. Sept. 11 to a report of a possible drowning near the Bailey Cove Boat Launch area of the lake.
According to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, witnesses were on a boat near the 5 mph buoys when a man jumped into the water after a dog that had also jumped from the moving vessel.
The man was attempting to catch the dog when he appeared to experience an unknown emergency and began calling for help, officials said.
Someone threw him a flotation device, which he was initially able to grab, but authorities said he later slipped beneath the surface and did not resurface.
Members of the sheriff's office dive team, CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service responded by boat and searched for the missing man. Dive team members later located him dead in the water that afternoon, according to the sheriff's office.
The victim was identified as 60-year-old Geordan White of Redding. His family has been notified, and a post-mortem examination will be scheduled.
Shasta Lake, formed by Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River, is California's largest reservoir, with a storage capacity of more than 4.5 million acre-feet, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The reservoir also plays a major role in flood control, hydroelectric power generation and water deliveries for agricultural, municipal and environmental uses across the region.
"The Shasta County Sheriff's Office extends our condolences to the victim's loved ones," officials said in a news release. "The Sheriff's Office also encourages the public to always wear personal flotation devices while on the water."
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