PORT ANGELES — The kayaker who drowned in Lake Crescent early Friday afternoon has been identified as 37-year-old Travis Valenti of Massapequa, N.Y., according to an Olympic National Park press release.
The park was notified of an overturned kayaker off Log Cabin Resort at 2:10 p.m. Friday, the release said. Valenti was kayaking with his fiancée when his kayak began taking on water.
He attempted to continue paddling but ultimately had to abandon his kayak and enter the water, the release said. As Valenti’s fiancée tried rescuing him, her kayak overturned and she also entered the water.
Valenti’s fiancée was able to swim to swim to shore, but Valenti could not, according to the release. Neither was wearing a life jacket.
Log Cabin Resort staff responded with a motorized vessel to Valenti’s last known point but were unable to locate him, the release said.
Bystanders and Valenti’s fiancée assisted ONP rangers and Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue personnel with locating the area where he was last seen, estimated to be more than a quarter mile offshore and roughly 400 to 500 feet deep, the release said.
Rangers searched by boat for more than two hours but were unable to locate Valenti. Another search was conducted on Saturday, but no signs of Valenti were found, according to the release.
ONP rangers said they want remind the public that Lake Crescent is a deep and cold body of water, with surface temperatures that can drop to nearly 50 degrees this time of year. Sudden immersion into water that cold will impact a person’s breathing and, later, their ability to move their arms and legs.
“Swimmers are encouraged to use a buddy system,” rangers said in the release.
“Boaters should always wear a life jacket and understand the risks of recreating on large bodies of water, such as underwater hazards, wind, waves, and water temperature.”
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@soundpublishing.com.
