From Gina Kim and Bill Lindelof:
Divers returned to the dangerous waters off Tiscornia Beach at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers today to search for the body of a teenager who is presumed drowned, a fire department spokesman said.
George Ho, 18, of Elk Grove was in a group of three people who waded into chest-deep water at the popular swimming spot off Richards Boulevard, said Battalion Chief Niko King of the Sacramento Fire Department. A couple of boats passed Ho, who was not wearing a life jacket. The boats' wakes caused Ho to lose his footing and disappear under the water's surface, King said.
Ho's is at least the second drowning on a Sacramento river this year. On May 23, an equestrian drowned after falling from his horse while trying to ford the swift-moving American River near Howe Avenue.
Drownings remain a concern as people misjudge the strong undercurrent from the misleading surface. Over the last 37 years, an average of six people drown in Sacramento County's rivers each year, a study King conducted reveals. In the past five years, the average climbed to eight and, last year, 11 people drowned, King found.
The open water between Tiscornia Beach and Discovery Park is one of the most deadly spots in the region for drownings, a combination of being a popular destination as well as the site of unpredictable currents caused by the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers.
"The currents are really dynamic here," King said. "The roughest part about it is they're always changing."
Emergency officials were called at 2:54 p.m. Sunday, about five minutes after Ho went under, and arrived on the scene by 3:01 p.m. Divers were in the water within 10 minutes, King said. The search turned into a recovery effort by 4 p.m., as the family of Ho, a recent Monterey Trail High School graduate, sat in silence, staring into the twinkling water from shore.
"Trying to predict where he is is really difficult," King said.
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