Sheriff's office identify man who died after helping struggling swimmer

The 30-year-old man who died after trying to help a woman struggling in Lake Travis has been identified. 

According to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Diego Humberto Cerda-Acosta, from Austin, was one of the three men who helped the struggling swimmer in Lake Travis Sunday night around 6 p.m. at Bob Wentz Park. 

“This lake is a flooded canyon with steep drop offs, low visibility and it’s very dangerous.  The only thing you’ve got working in your favor when you go into distress is a life jacket,” said Kristen Dark with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.

A word of caution from Dark Sunday night while giving the press the details about the latest swimming situaiton. 

The Sheriff’s Office says Manuel Solis disappeared near Mansfield Dam on Cinco De Mayo in about 140 feet of water. His body still hasn’t been found. And on the 19th, a woman fell off of a party barge in about 120 feet of water. She hasn’t been found either.  

On Sunday night a woman was seen struggling in the water at Bob Wentz Park.  

Three men, including Adrian Garza jumped in to save her.  

“At that moment there was a lady to the side of me, I took a floatie and I just started swimming, started swimming to her,” Garza said.

The men were able to pull the woman to safety. She was taken the hospital. 

“What if it had happened to my family? What if it was one of mine? And if I wasn’t around I would have loved for somebody else to take action and help to save this lady’s life,” Garza said

Even though the struggling swimmer was rescued, a 30-year-old man identified by police as Diego Humberto Cerda-Acosta, was one of the men who jumped in to save her but never made it back to shore.  

The recovery effort resumed Monday morning.  The Sheriff’s Office Dive Team recovered the body of Humberto Cerda-Acosta in just 9 feet of water.

Robert Weiss has owned Lake Travis Scuba for 11 years. With two swimmers still missing in these waters on Memorial Day weekend, his divers need to be prepared for what they may find below.

“So you know I have an obligation to tell these people that in the unlikely event that something happens here’s what you do, here’s the protocol,” Weiss said.

Weiss showed us a photo of what Lake Travis looked like before being filled with water. He’s familiar with the dangers underneath the surface.

“Some of these parts it’s a very shallow grade, very shallow grade. You’re walking, you’re walking and all of a sudden it drops 15 feet, 5 feet. And if you don’t know how to swim and you’ve just stepped over that boundary you might as well be stepping in 100 feet of water,” Weiss said.

Again there are still two others missing. The party barge incident from last week is being investigated by Texas Parks and Wildlife since there was a boat involved. 

Again the Sheriff’s Office stresses, if you’re swimming wear a life jacket in Lake Travis.