COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County police are investigating a drowning at the Chattahoochee River.
For the third time this year, a man has died swimming near the “Diving Rock” area of the river.%
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Police said the 22-year-old man, identified as David Bush of Marietta, began to struggle while swimming, went underwater and did not resurface.
Fire and rescue crews found his body shortly after responding to the scene Monday evening.
The body of an 18-year-old man was recovered from the river after a two-day search in June, and another 18-year-old drowned in the same spot in May.
Rescuers say Bush was swimming alone and a kayaker called for help.
Channel 2’s Ross Cavitt spoke with the National Parks Service, which said it has responded to the tragedies by forming a preventive search and rescue team which goes up and down the river, making sure people are wearing life jackets.
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The conditions that make this portion of the river dangerous for swimmers also makes it dangerous for rescuers.
“The water levels, if they had been elevated or anything like that, and there is also zero visibility under there so you really can’t see what you’re working with," said Alicia Chilton with the Cobb Police Department.
"Even the strongest swimmer has to realize that it’s not like your neighborhood pool or the community that you’re from. There are cold, swift currents that really does sap your energy. People are surprised by that at this particular location,” said Adrianna McLane with the National Parks Service.
The preventive team encountered nearly 1,500 people on the river over the Labor Day weekend. They said 90 percent of the people were wearing their life jackets, and if they weren’t, they were told to get off the river.
Cox Media Group
