Two men drown in the Russian River in Sonoma County during the holiday week

Two men drowned in the Russian River last week, underscoring the constant danger of this wild waterway in Sonoma County that can attract thousands of visitors to its sunny shores every day this time of year.

The two men, whose identities have not yet been confirmed, were found in Monte Rio near areas frequented by beachgoers, many of whom had flocked to the river during a severe and prolonged heatwave that swept through the region last week.

“It’s just an unusual year,” said Steve Baxman, chief of the Monte Rio Fire Department, about the two drowning accidents that occurred so close together in time and place.

“It’s sad,” he added. “We don’t want that to happen.”

Because of the higher number of summer visitors, there are many more people on the river at this time of year. Its currents, depths and drops can surprise them.

The first man, described as being in his 20s, went into hiding Wednesday night after witnesses said he may have had a medical emergency near the Patterson Point Reserve. A dive team from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office found the man in the water around 2:20 p.m. Friday, “exactly where he went in,” Baxman said.

The second man, believed to be in his 50s, was found in the river at around 6:40 p.m. Saturday evening. Firefighters performed life-saving measures, including cardiac arrest, for about 25 minutes before the man was pronounced dead.

Little to no information is known about the cause of the second man’s drowning.

Every year, local firefighters and police go to the region’s rivers, coasts and lakes to conduct rescues and report drownings, and this year was no exception.

Also on Friday, two people nearly drowned in Lake Berryessa in Napa County. They were flown to Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries. The near-drowning was the second at the lake that the Napa County Sheriff’s Office has been called to since Thursday.

On April 11, 14-year-old Justin Huang was reported missing in the Russian River north of Forestville. His body was recovered the next day.

In March, two bodies were found in the Russian River near Ukiah in Mendocino County.

On February 26, the Sonoma County Fire District Whitewater Rescue Unit pulled a woman and two officers she had pushed in with her from the raging waters of the Russian River near Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville.

Five people drowned in Sonoma County in 2023. Two bodies were recovered from the Russian River, according to data released in April by the Sonoma County Coroner.

Between 2019 and 2023, eight people drowned in the Russian River.

Nevertheless, the death toll has been declining since 2017, when eight people drowned in Sonoma County.

In fact, there were an average of eight drowning deaths per year between 2013 and 2017. Since then, however, the average has been 5.5 drowning deaths per year, The Press Democrat reported earlier this year.

Due to ongoing investigations, the coroner did not have any data for the year 2024.

According to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning rates are rising nationwide. Drowning remains the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 4, and the second leading cause of accidental death among children ages 5 to 14, after traffic accidents. Black communities are also disproportionately affected.

In Sonoma and Napa counties, where numbers are declining and stable, respectively, local authorities have worked hard to warn people about the dangers and prepare them when they go into the water.

These measures include water safety programs that teach young people how to swim, more lifeguard stations, and numerous warning signs on local lakes, rivers, and ocean beaches.

Examples of these programs include the bilingual “Vamos a Nadar” program in Sonoma County, which specifically targets youth from underrepresented communities who may not have access to a swimming pool or a trained swim instructor.

This story includes reporting by staff writer Martin Espinoza. Reach staff writer Madison Smalstig at [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.