Hiker Feared Dead in Rain-Swollen Swimming Hole

A Ventura man apparently drowned Saturday after jumping into a swimming hole to rescue his friend on a popular hiking trail near Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, sheriff’s deputies said.

The 19-year-old man, reported missing about 2 p.m., was believed to be trapped in a murky, rain-swollen whirlpool at the end of a hiking trail near Los Padres National Forest known as the Devil’s Punchbowl, Sheriff’s Deputy Al Moussa said.

Divers, who searched for the victim until nightfall, plan to resume rescue efforts this morning.

“It’s a dangerous situation because of the swift water caused by the recent rains,” said Sgt. Arve Wells, head of the county’s search-and-rescue team.

Police would not release the name of the victim until his family is notified.

The victim and two friends, Brian Smith, 20, and Darrel Brown, 21, of Santa Paula, reached the pool after hiking the four-mile trail that starts at the college, sheriff’s deputies said. The trio had hiked the trail several times before, Smith said.

The swimming hole, fed by the Santa Paula Creek, is usually about 10 feet deep, but on Saturday it was about 20 feet due to the rainfall. Rushing torrents cascaded down a waterfall into the pool, producing a dangerous whirlpool, Wells said.

According to Moussa, when the hikers reached the site Saturday, Brown jumped into the pool for a swim, but was pulled under by currents. The victim jumped in to help Brown but was unable to rescue him. Smith, who was at the side of the pool, tried to rescue both men by extending a branch, but only Brown was able to grasp it.

Brown and Smith then alerted a group of 12 UCLA students who were hiking in the area, Moussa said. One student, Dan Adelseck, said he tied himself to a rope and jumped into the pool to search for the victim, but was unsuccessful.

Two other students, Vernon Glaser and Ed Chen, ran back down the trail to call for help and contacted police at about 3 p.m., Glaser said.

A county fire unit was the first to respond, followed by the sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team and a helicopter. Smith and Brown were carried by helicopter from the pool to the college, where sheriff’s investigators questioned them.

At about 4:15, a team of divers arrived at the college and began preparations for the rescue effort. “We have to tie safety lines to the divers so as not to compromise their safety,” Wells said.

The divers were taken to the Punchbowl, by helicopter about 5:15, and searched for about an hour, but could not find the victim.

One of the divers was slightly injured by the “rapid, rushing water,” Sheriff’s Lt. Gary Markley said. “They’re being real cautious now, because they don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

Divers postponed the search at dusk. “We can’t find anything in the dark, but we’ll have a fresh team of divers at 7 a.m.,” Markley said.

The Punchbowl site, about four miles northeast of the college, is a popular area for hikers, mountain bikers and campers.

“A lot of people like to dive into the bowl. It’s just a big granite rock full of water,” said Phil Casanta, who works in a Ventura bicycle store.

Mark Douglas, a student at Thomas Aquinas, said sheriff’s helicopters often fly over the trail looking for lost hikers, but he had never heard of drownings at the pools.

Times staff writer Santiago O’Donnell and correspondent Peggy Y. Lee contributed to this report.