A 61-year-old man drowns in Lake Lanier over the weekend

Body was located using a watch the victim was wearing and a Remote Operated Vehicle

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (July 31, 2023) – Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services reported that a 61-year-old man drowned at Lake Lanier on Saturday.

According to a press release from GCFES, at 7:24 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023, firefighters responded to occupants requesting assistance in a boat on Lake Lanier after the victim reportedly jumped into the water from a boat and subsequently became distressed, calling for a lifejacket to be thrown to him. However, by the time the group in the boat could get a lifejacket, the male was under the water.

“Gwinnett County Fire’s Swiftwater Rescue Team and Gwinnett County Police’s Aviation Unit were able to locate the stranded boat with six others aboard and assisted them to the shore. Using an Apple Watch, the victim was wearing, crews on the scene triangulated an area to grid search using the Side-Scan Sonar system. With the assistance of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Hall County Fire Rescue, Gwinnett County Police’s Aviation Unit, and the requested Forsyth County Fire Department’s Dive Team, crews were able to locate the victim’s body utilizing a submersible Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV),” GCFES reported.

After approximately 45 minutes of being submerged in the water, The body was recovered 110 feet below the water’s surface after he had been submerged in the water for about 45 minutes. The initial depth where the bystanders last saw him was 45 feet below the water’s surface.

Hall County Fire and Rescue’s boat transported the victim to the shore at East Bank Park and transferred the body to Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services’ medical crews. 

“Medical crews on the scene confirmed the death of the male. Crews then demobilized at the scene, waiting for the coroner and the Medical Examiner to arrive,” GCFES reported.

The victim’s body was subsequently turned over to the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner for further investigation. His identity has not been released at this time.