Lake Tapps Drowning Was First In 5 Years: Pierce County Sheriff

BONNEY LAKE, WA - The 22-year-old man who drowned while swimming in Lake Tapps Sunday was the first drowning in the lake since 2012, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. Police are warning swimmers - especially with a heat-wave bearing down on the region - to remember to wear a life jacket and don't overestimate your swimming abilities.

"Please please #SwimSafe this week. Look out for your friends and family, wear your lifejackets, don't over-estimate your abilities," the department wrote in a Facebook post.

The man, identified by the Pierce County Medical Examiner as Gary Kesti of Orting, was swimming with friends in Lake Tapps Sunday afternoon when he went under the water. Kesti was reportedly trying to swim about 40 yards from the shore to a buoy with a group of friends. After being pulled from the water, he died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Lake Tapps.

Police suspect that the cold water below the surface might have shocked Kesti, taking away his energy to keep swimming. Under the surface, Lake Tapps hovers between 50 and 56 degrees.

"That cold water zaps your energy. It makes it difficult to swim. It takes just one second and you slip under the water,” Bonney Lake police Officer Daron Wolshleger told KOMO News.

Image via Pierce County Sheriff's Office