BAKERSFIELD, Calif (KBAK/KBFX) A man who went tubing on the Kern River was found dead Friday morning after witnesses saw him slip beneath the water near Hart Park, prompting renewed warnings from officials and a grieving mother about the river’s hidden dangers.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said search and rescue personnel responded Thursday at about 5:15 p.m. to a report of a man floating face down in the river.
Witness Allen Castillo said the man was part of a group of three tubing down the river when they appeared to fall off.
“It was three guys they were coming down the river on a tube and looks like they had fell off the tube. They were right in front of us. And right when they were right in front of us one of the guys went under. He was under for maybe three seconds. Came back up for like another second and then he went back down,” Castillo said.
Kern County deputies recover man found face down in river, mother warns of currents (KBAK/KBFX)
The sheriff’s office said the man’s body was found Friday morning.
Maria James Officer, identified as the mother of the drowning victim, urged others to stay out of the river, warning that conditions can be deceptive.
“It’s like you need to stay out of this river. You need to stay out of it. It looks like its shallow but it’s not. The current starts to move and once it starts you can’t control it. It just takes you and you can’t do anything about it and then you’re gone,” she said.
Officer said her son was not a strong swimmer and questioned why he was brought to the river.
“You know what he wasn’t a good swimmer. And I told the guy that took him here. I’m like, first of all even if he was a good swimmer why would you into the Kern River?” she said.
KCSO search and rescue personnel said the Kern River is dangerous even in areas that may appear calmer than stretches closer to the canyon.
Robert Fallon of KCSO Search and Rescue said, “The Kern River is dangerous everywhere. It’s just that type of river.”
Kern County deputies recover man found face down in river, mother warns of currents (KBFX)
Fallon said hazards beneath the surface can trap people, including “the strainers, trees, rocks, whatever is in the river,” and warned that once someone is caught, escape can be extremely difficult.
“Whatever is in the river can catch people up and they get trapped. And they end up drowning and once you’re trapped it’s almost impossible to get out of that,” Fallon said.
“It’s what’s under the river that can entrap you and cause you to drown,” he added.
Kern County deputies recover man found face down in river, mother warns of currents (KBAK/KBFX)
KCSO search and rescue personnel also described the Kern River as one of the most dangerous rivers in America and said it needs to be respected.