A 51-year-old man from Rock Spring, Georgia, drowned Saturday while boating on Chickamauga Reservoir, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
Officials say the man jumped into the water to retrieve a piece of his boat that had broken off. He was not wearing a life jacket and did not resurface.
After an extensive search using Side Scanning Sonar and a Remote Operated Vehicle, recovery teams located the victim’s body around 8:30 p.m. Saturday in approximately 15 to 18 feet of water.
This marks the 16th fatal boating incident in Tennessee so far this year. TWRA officials say the incident remains under investigation. The name of the deceased has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.