Hoped-For Rescue Turns To Recover Mission For Missing Swimmer At Lake Austin

UPDATE: According to numerous media reports, the drowning victim was found by family members late Saturday.

From earlier:

AUSTIN, TX -- Emergency workers have transitioned a hoped-for rescue to one involving recovery after a swimmer went under water at Lake Travis Saturday afternoon but failed to resurface.

Austin-Travis County EMS officials said the Travis County Sheriff's Office will take over searching for the missing swimmer, described as a man in his 20s.

The swimmer went missing in the area surrounding the Paradise Cove marina, according to EMS officials.

In the frantic search for the victim, Lake Travis Fire Rescue dispatched four swimmers to the scene along with a boat and a STAR Flight helicopter was sent to aid in the search, EMS officials said. But all hope was lost of finding the swimmer alive just before 7 p.m., and officials officially designated continuing efforts as recovery of a body rather than a swimmer in distress.

This has been a perilous, and sometimes lethal, swimming season. Heavy rains starting in May and continuing through the summer months exponentially increased water levels and created extra debris into area waterways, making for treacherous swimming and boating given the changed dynamics.

But even with prior, post-storm debris cleanup, recent drownings at another waterway have left officials scrambling for answers. The bucolic nature of the naturally fed Hamilton Pool have taken on a more treacherous nature what with two recent drownings and other near-drownings there.

The recent incidents at Hamilton Pool have prompted parks officials to ban swimming there indefinitely as they work out a plan to enhance safety at the popular attraction.

Lake Travis hasn't been immune to drownings either, and the most recent incident is the seventh drowning there this year. This past July, a little girl drowned after falling off a boating dock in the 8000 block of Lakeview Street. Despite frantic efforts by family members to find her, the two-year-old's body was later found by rescue officials.

The same day of the girl's death just ahead of July 4, a boat collision left three women injured. Prior to both incidents, Lake Travis had been closed after May floods that filled the lake to capacity and deposited extra debris, which made conditions at the lake treacherous. The waterway was re-opened on June 10.

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