Divers recover body of person who drowned after small boat capsized on Hoover Reservoir

The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
High winds capsized a small boat Saturday afternoon on Hoover Reservoir, seen here from the water in this older photo looking toward the Hoover Dam. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said one person made it to shore, but the other remained missing Saturday when bad weather forced authorities to call off the search. The body was found Sunday by divers operating in more favorable weather conditions.

Divers have found the submerged body of a person whose small boat capsized Saturday afternoon during high winds on Hoover Reservoir near Westerville, north of Columbus.

The Columbus Division of Police Dive Team began their search early Sunday and reported finding the victim just after 6 p.m., said Melanie Amato, police spokeswoman.

While the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has not formally identified the person whose body was found, family members have confirmed 44-year-old Shane Henderson died. Henderson is listed as the administrator of the Hoover Cats group on Facebook, which had organized a fishing tournament on Hoover Reservoir for Saturday.

The boat with two people aboard capsized just after 2 p.m. Saturday due to high winds that roared through the area in connection with a passing storm front.

"The Hoover Cats tourney is a go tomorrow barring any unexpected flooding of the ramps," one member wrote on a Friday post. "I’ll be there nice and early throwing for bait."

But others were concerned about the rough weather and at least one person said they would not risk the harsh conditions.

"It’s going to be nasty tomorrow. 60 mph gusts with close to 30 mph winds constantly. Not a safe time on the water," one member posted.

On Saturday evening, another Facebook post addressed the tragedy: "I’m praying for a life lost today on Hoover. The conditions were not 'friendly' for boating."

A search on Saturday by ODNR had been called off due to poor visibility and weather conditions.

The 16-17-foot "Jon" boat, a flat-bottomed craft used for fishing and hunting, was not far from shore when "the wind started filling the boat with water, the boat capsized and the occupants started to swim to shore," said Melanie Amato, spokeswoman for Columbus police , which has jurisdiction over the reservoir.

The person who made it to shore explained to authorities that they saw the other person submerge and not come up.

The Columbus police dive team was using sonar to assist in 6-10 feet of cold water that had been "stirred up" by the wind and waves Saturday, Amato said.

Hoover Reservoir is one of three water supply reservoirs for the city of Columbus and was created by construction of the Hoover Dam on Big Walnut Creek. Because it is a water supply reservoir, watercraft are limited to power boats no more than 22 feet in length with a maximum 10 horsepower. Sail boats are limited to 25 feet in length.

Construction of the Hoover Dam on Big Walnut Creek, seen here in a September 2021 file photo, enabed the creation of the Hoover Reservoir, one of three drinking water reservoirs for the city of Columbus.
Construction of the Hoover Dam on Big Walnut Creek, seen here in a September 2021 file photo, enabed the creation of the Hoover Reservoir, one of three drinking water reservoirs for the city of Columbus.

ODNR reminds watercraft operators to check local weather conditions and advisories before venturing out onto any bodies of water, and to wear a life jacket.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: High winds Saturday capsized a small board on Hoover Reservoir