Hopi man dies in cliff jumping accident near Glen Canyon Dam

[Waterbaby]

https://www.nhonews.com/news/2017/aug/22/arizona-man-dies-cliff-jumping-accident-near-glen-/

Hopi man dies in cliff jumping accident near Glen Canyon Dam

Photo/NPS

Lake Powell, Arizona.

By Erin Ford

• Originally Published: August 22, 2017 11:11 a.m.

PAGE, Ariz. — An Arizona man died Aug. 14 after a cliff-jumping accident at Anchovy Point on Lake Powell.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and National Park Service (NPS) rangers responded to the accident after a report from Glen Canyon Dam National Recreation Area Dispatch. According to a news release, witnesses told authorities that the victim, identified as 25-year-old Erick Kallestewa of Hotevilla, Arizona, jumped from about 30 feet into the water. Kallestewa resurfaced but began to struggle because of wave and wind conditions in the area. Officials said boaters on a private vessel attempted to provide assistance after seeing one of the witnesses trying to rescue Kallestewa.

At some point, Kallestewa failed to resurface.

Because the water at Anchovy Point, located between Glen Canyon Dam and Wahweap Marina, is more than 170 feet deep, authorities brought in a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) to search the waters where Kallestewa was last seen.

The search was suspended overnight and resumed around dawn Aug. 15. Kallestewa’s body was recovered by the ROV specialists and a dive team from Glen Canyon Dam around 10:45 a.m. in 432 feet of water.

Authorities are unsure whether Kallestewa was injured in the jump or drowned. The incident is currently under investigation by the National Park Service, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.

 

[Ryan]

https://www.nhonews.com/news/2017/aug/22/arizona-man-dies-cliff-jumping-accident-near-glen-/

Hopi man dies in cliff jumping accident near Glen Canyon Dam

Photo/NPS

Lake Powell, Arizona.
........

Authorities are unsure whether Kallestewa was injured in the jump or drowned. The incident is currently under investigation by the National Park Service, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Sad story. Will be interesting to see if he was injured during the jump.

 

[Bill Sampson]

Hitting the water wrong at 30 feet can really mess you up.

 

[Leardriver]

Sorry to hear that. He drowned after surfacing, it sounds like. Not a jumping accident per se.

 

[Endurance]

I wonder if he slapped hard and either got the wind knocked out of him or got a little disoriented so that swimming in the waves got to be too much to handle. No matter what, this is sad. Condolences to his family and friends.

 

[Ryan]

I've worked with people who have had terrible, life changing accidents falling (on land) from as little as 6'. So, anything can happen.

That said, I really don't think that 30' is very far to jump into the water. Even if you "land wrong", all else being equal, you should be able to safely recover.

Has the cause of his death been officially announced?

 

[birdsnest]

I respectfully disagree. You land wrong off a 30' jump and it can complicate you living. Anything that isn't right when you're trying to swim can be life threatening. That being said, where we're his buddies?

 

[Waterbaby]

A year ago we were in Copper Canyon here when a young woman jumped from the rock so popular to partiers..... she landed wrong and broke her back. They were trying to stabilize her in the water while waiting for help to arrive. She was wearing a vest, otherwise she likely would have drowned. This rock is no where near 30 feet high yet we have several deaths each year from jumpers - at one point the Indian tribe [owners of the land along the CA side of the lake] were threatening to shut down Copper Canyon because of the deaths from jumpers.

 

[Dale]

My SIL jumped from less than 30' quite a few years ago, compression fracture, and she is still dealing with it today! Backs are fragile! I did not realize I had a birth defect until I was in my 50's, as I played football and did farm work when I was younger. Lived with it until 3 years ago, had L3,4,5,S1 fusion last year. Just fixed part of the problem. More crap coming! Take care of yourselves now! It hurts later.