Body of missing swimmer recovered in Bastrop County
BASTROP, Texas - The body of a missing swimmer, who went missing in Bastrop County on Monday night, was recovered.
Around 7:45 p.m., on June 10, Bastrop County fire crews and multiple other agencies responded to a call about a missing swimmer in the 400 block of East Riverside Dr., just south of the city of Bastrop.
Rescue crews were called to the Tahitian Village Boat Ramp when a man in his 30s went underwater and didn't resurface.
"We perform shore line searches as well as putting boats in the water and used aerial drones attempting to locate the missing individual," said Battalion Chief Kyle Swarts with Bastrop County Emergency Services District 2.
Search crews from Bastrop County, Texas Parks and Wildlife and LCRA recovered the man's body Tuesday morning. He was found about a half mile downstream.
"It’s sad, it’s shocking too, I hate that," said Tanya Land, a local swimmer.
Land is among those from Tahitian Village who swim in the Colorado River. It's a popular spot to cool off, but Land said the fun can also quickly turn into trouble.
"You got all of these rocks, it looks shallow, it’s very rocky, there’s moss on the top, so it’s real slick, and the current is real strong, it will rip you away especially when it’s higher," said Land.
In Austin, the body of a missing swimmer was recovered on June 11. The swimmer went missing near Devil's Cove on June 8.
Both cases have authorities urging swimmers to think more about water safety this summer. That includes life vests.
"We fully understand that they are not the most comfortable thing in the world. People don’t necessarily enjoy wearing them, but if you are going to be boating, if you are going to be swimming and especially if you are going to be using alcohol around the water, it’s really imperative that you wear a life jacket. The single best defense you have in these types of incidents," said Battalion Chief Swarts.
There have been two other notable drownings this season. In early June, a teenager drowned in Cedar Park at the Twin Creeks YMCA. In late March, at Bastrop’s Fisherman’s Park, a man drowned while trying to rescue his son. The boy survived.