Man dies after snorkeling incident in St. Johns River, officials say

Man drowns in snorkeling accident, VSO says

Officials said the 22-year-old man drowned while snorkeling in Volusia County on Saturday.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A 22-year-old man from Daytona Beach died Saturday afternoon after drowning while snorkeling in the St. Johns River near French Landing in Orange City, according to Volusia Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded to the scene around 4:18 p.m. Saturday after the man’s girlfriend and several witnesses reported he had gone missing underwater. Witnesses said the man had been attempting to swim roughly 50 feet offshore when he began struggling in the current and disappeared beneath the surface.

According to officials, his girlfriend immediately attempted to rescue him, and several nearby witnesses jumped into the water to help. However, responders said the group lost their hold on him due to the river’s current and soon lost sight of him entirely.

Multiple agencies responded to assist in the search effort, including officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and an aerial unit known as Air One. 

Authorities used boat-mounted sonar during the search, which later detected a possible location of the victim beneath the water.

Reports suggest that at approximately 8 p.m., the Volusia Sheriff’s Office dive team recovered the victim from the river.

Officials identified the man as Samuel Oche, 22, of Daytona Beach.