SPANISH FLAT, Calif. — With two people drowning in a two-week span at Lake Berryessa, the sheriff's office is warning people that the waters might not be as safe as they look.
Marcos Salvador Grijalva Pocasagre, 25, of Guatemala, was visiting his family when he drowned on June 27. Days earlier, Billy Dy, 22, also drowned in the Lake Berryessa waters.
Now Sgt. Jon Thompson with the Napa County Sheriff' Office is warning swimmers the water may look safe, but danger lurks below.
“You could be swimming in six feet of water then all of a sudden its 90 feet and you are still trying to make it to the island,” Thompson said.
Lake Berryessa is notorious for steep underwater drop offs, but this year’s drought is causing water levels to drop more than an inch a day, making beach drop offs unpredictable.
“People from the shore think they can swim that distance and a lot ends in exhaustion,” Thompson said.
There’s been a total of nine drownings in the last three years at Lake Berryessa. All victims were under the age of 30, unfamiliar with the lake and not wearing a life jacket. In recent years, first responders from multiple agencies have teamed up to respond to emergency calls faster. Paramedics with CHP say their helicopter can be anywhere on the lake within 10 minutes of a call.
Sgt. Thompson says in most cases, if you are swimming in the lake you should wear a life jacket. If you don’t have once, the Bureau of Reclamation will loan you one at any of the day use areas for free.
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