A 27-year old man drowned after jumping off a small rock cliff at Cleetwood Cove at Crater Lake on Sunday.
Park spokesperson Marsha McCabe from the National Park Service said the report of the accident came in at approximately 4:40 p.m. McCabe said the man did not resurface after the jump.
Those nearby immediately threw out a life ring while staff from the Crater Lake Hospitality park boat tour went to the area in a small boat to help with the search. McCabe said park staff mobilized quickly and responded to the location, which is one mile down the Cleetwood Trail. The search continued by boat, but the water was choppy and visibility was obscured in the area. Divers were called, but due to the remote location there was not time for them to do any searching before darkness fell. McCabe said after more than 3 hours from the time of the incident, with no sign of the victim, the search was called off for the night.
Early Monday morning, divers mobilized and dove in the last known location of the man. They located the victim approximately 90 feet straight down below the surface on a rock ledge. McCabe said beyond that point, the lake depth drops off dramatically to a depth greater than 1,200 feet. The man’s body was transported to Klamath Falls.
McCabe said the incident occurred at the end of the Cleetwood Trail at a location on the lakeshore where every summer thousands of park visitors jump into the cold lake and then quickly swim to shore. Locals refer to the spot as the “Jumping Rock”. McCabe said park staff are unaware of any previous drownings in that area.
The average temperature of the lake is around 38 degrees Fahrenheit, but during the summer the surface of the lake warms to around 60 degrees. McCabe said swimming is only permitted in the area around Cleetwood Cove and along the shore of Wizard Island.
The victim has not yet been identified.