A fraternity trip to Lake Havasu ended in tragedy over the weekend after an 18-year-old Cal State Fullerton student drowned in swift-moving waters at the popular recreation destination, authorities said.
Simon Daniel disappeared below the surface while swimming in the Copper Canyon area around 3 p.m. Saturday, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. His body was found around 8:54 a.m. the next morning, officials said.
The drowning was the first of at least two emergencies involving college students that the Sheriff’s Department responded to over the weekend.
Tanner Prentis, a 22-year-old UC Santa Barbara student, went missing after spending Saturday night out with with friends in Big Bear Lake. His body was found in the water on Monday.
The Sigma Pi fraternity said in a statement that Daniel was “the heart of the fraternity” and “brightened every room with his brilliant smile.” The freshman computer science major hails from Pinole and was known for his “love of music, boundless energy and kind smile.”
According to the fraternity, Daniel entered the water at Lake Havasu River alongside three fraternity brothers and two members of a sorority that joined the brothers on the trip.
The group was unaware that recent rainfall had led to hazardous swimming conditions including strong currents, crosswind and swells, the fraternity wrote. After suddenly finding themselves in distress, several other fraternity brothers “heroically risked their own lives” in an attempt to rescue the six students, according to the fraternity.
But Daniel was swept away by a sudden wave, separated from one of the rescuers and disappeared below the surface.
Rescue teams from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department deployed divers to where Daniel was last seen, authorities said.
Divers scoured the water and deployed sonar scanners to search for Daniel until nightfall. On Sunday morning divers located and recovered his body with the help of a remotely operated vehicle.
More than 200 students attended a candlelit vigil for Daniel on Sunday night.
“Simon is survived by his mother and a community of loved ones and brothers who deeply mourn his loss,” the fraternity wrote.
Both Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara are offering crisis counseling services to help students cope with the sudden deaths.
