Body of fisherman who fell overboard at Irvine Lake found

The body of a man in his 60s who fell into the water Saturday afternoon while fishing on Irvine Lake was found Sunday morning, authorities said.

Divers found the body in 25 feet of water fairly close to the location where his friend reported he had gone under, said Lt. Jeff Hallock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Coroner’s examiners were en route to the scene to examine the body of the man, whose identity was not released pending a positive identification, he said.

A dive team with the Sheriff’s Department had combed the 750-acre lake for the man, who was fishing with a friend when he fell into the water Saturday afternoon, Hallock said.

The second man told authorities he heard a splash and turned to see the man had gone overboard. He jumped into the lake to try to rescue his friend but was unsuccessful, and notified authorities around 5:45 p.m.

Neither man was wearing a life vest, Hallock said.

Fire and sheriff’s officials initially launched a search-and-rescue effort with boats on the lake surface and a helicopter in the air. About 9 p.m., authorities determined it was unlikely the man had survived and “began to transition to a recovery effort,” Hallock said.

The search continued past midnight, when it was called off due to the lack of visibility. The dive team resumed the search at sunrise.

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