QLD
1782 posts
He has been found. Update from Hood River sheriffs office....
Andres Pombo.
Law enforcement recovered the body of a missing paddle boarder Wednesday morning from the Columbia River, just west of Hood River.
A Hood River County Sheriff’s Office search plane spotted the body of Andres Pombo, 29, of Miami, at about 9 a.m. Wednesday, in the middle of the river near Swell City across the Columbia River from Ruthton Point in Hood River — slightly upriver from where fierce winds took him down Friday.
“It’s just a grim reminder of what can happen,” said Hood River County Sheriff Matt English.
Pombo, who was originally from Uruguay, and lived in Miami, was visiting Hood River for the Naish Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge over the weekend.
In a “practice run” Friday afternoon, Pombo paddled out on the river from Viento State Park, headed east toward Hood River. He was not wearing a life vest, nor a tether while he was out on the water.
Video evidence from a GoPro camera clipped to Pombo’s board showed him falling into the mid-channel of the river near Swell City, and swimming for roughly one minute before vanishing from view. Witnesses combed the area within minutes, searching to no avail.
An intensive search by multiple police agencies and Gorge paddle boarders yielded no results until Wednesday morning, when a HRCSO pilot found Pombo’s body, which had surfaced slightly downriver from where he went under, “just south of mid-channel,” said English.
Boats from the sheriff’s office and Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Enforcement (CRITFE) teamed up to recover Pombo’s body.
English said officials were able to positively identify the body as Pombo. There likely won’t be an autopsy because “this case is pretty clear,” he said.
“We feel terrible for the family … it’s a tragic event. We’re just glad that we could help when they have a really hard time,” said English.
Members of Pombo’s family, including his wife and brother, arrived from Florida on Tuesday evening, a friend of Pombo's said.
Friends of Pombo have set up a Gofundme.com account for his family, with a stated goal to cover airfare and hotel costs in travelling from Miami to Portland, and then Hood River.
The donation fund’s goal was $10,000 — in three days, it outstripped that with $16,230.
Coordinators of the page said additional funds will go to “medical and other expenses associated with this tragedy” as well as “water safety outreach and education in Andres’ honor.”
HRCSO has urged everyone on the river to use a flotation device as required by law, as well as other available safety equipment when recreating on the river. HRCSO has boosted its marine patrol efforts since June.
“The Columbia River current is stronger than most people believe and strong winds increase the danger to recreationalists,” said HRCSO in a written release Wednesday.
QLD
4177 posts
At least his family have some form of closure.Tragic.
23 posts
It's sparked a lot of effort and conversations about leash and PFD use. A more complex topic than I first thought, even though I've had a close call with leash entrapment. Safety is always a challenging issue--making one person safe can kill another.
124 posts
That's right Aus is part of NZ. We play nicely together most of the time. But yeah that was a tragic event up north and certainly made one think about leashes slightly differently. Seen a lot of "half fingers" on here due to entanglement also. But on balance still think leashes are the go, and obviously mandatory in surf, as much for safety of other water users as anything.
23 posts
Yeah, I'm working on some other stuff, like waist leashes, and a video about how to prep for downwinders in the gorge, but even though I think the message is true, I just didn't feel comfortable with it.
QLD
2031 posts
I very nearly had my 2 and 3 toe cut off by my leash. Im still more than happy to wear it.
