http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/226965

A Lititz man drowned Sunday afternoon after a canoe he was in capsized in a cove near Seven Points Marina at the northern end of Raystown Lake, which is south of Huntingdon in Huntingdon County.

Merle Seibel, 34, of Lititz, was pronounced dead at the scene by Huntingdon County Coroner Ron Morder.

Seibel was staying at the Senoia Campground with family members. He and his brother-in-law, Ryan Sensenig of Schaefferstown, were paddling across the cove when the canoe capsized.

Neither was wearing a life jacket, although there were life jackets at the scene, said Jude Harrington, supervisory park ranger at Raystown Lake, who responded to the 2:32 p.m. call.

"One was able to hold onto the canoe," Harrington said of Sensenig. "The other went under and drowned."

Harrington said Seibel's body was recovered by members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

At the time of the 911 call, Seibel had been underwater about 10 minutes, said Craig Garman, waterways conservation officer with the Fish and Boat Commission who was first on the scene and investigated the drowning. Attempts to revive Seibel failed.

Garman said Sensenig told him he heard Seibel struggling to stay afloat for several moments. Seibel's body was found on the bottom of a 10-foot-deep section of the lake about 45 minutes after the canoe capsized.


"Unfortunately, he had just been down too long," Garman said, adding that the canoe could have capsized from an unexpected wave. "Canoes are fairly unstable. There was very choppy water where they were at." The men were about 80 to 100 feet off the shore, he said.

Passersby assisted Sensenig before officers arrived.

Harrington said hypothermia was not a factor because the water temperature was 76 degrees. He added that alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the drowning.

"They were just out canoeing without their life jackets on," Harrington said. "This individual was reported as not being a good swimmer. We feel that life jackets would have helped."

This is the second drowning in the last 12 months at Raystown Lake. In September 2007, a 23-year-old Vermont man died trying to swim across a portion of the lake near Weaver Falls.

This may come across wrong to some, but this kind of thing really makes me angry at the one who drowns.

It was just stupid. Period.

What makes me angry is that now this guy's family has to deal with the anguish of his senseless passing. If he did not care enough of his own life to wear a life jacket knowing he could not swim, he should have cared enough for his family to stay alive.

I do not report about each drowning that occurs in our area and there have been several this year.

One incident was when two people went out on the Potomac in a canoe on a day with a Small Craft Advisory.

That was the same day Brenda and I stayed in because we did not want to get tossed about in our 25-foot boat and they went out in a canoe!!

Do I need to mention that they found the empty canoe long before either of their bodies?

So many people drowned in canoe accidents 100 years ago they were actually banned in some areas.

My heart goes out to the family members...But, like Admin said... You don't swim well or not.. In a canoe??? No life jacket???

You have a canoe flip, and a life jacket probably would have prevented a drowning.

Then you have a story like this
(this amazes me!)

personal responsibility, the guys in the ocean were prepared,, knew how to swim, the guy who I probably went by and didn't know it, was not, kept his life jacket on shore.

I'm guessing you guys have never paddled a canoe very far while wearing a PFD.

Duhhhhh.

I'm with Admin to a point but first I would like to know if it was their own canoe (their responsibility) or a rental? I didn't see it in the article but it sounds like their own.

And Troop, I've canoed from the dam to Willow Beach on one trip and from Needles to Cat Tail Cove, AZ, about half way down Lake Havasu, on a couple more. I'm with you. PFD's are a pain in the neck (literally if you're stuck with an orange one ) and we would never wear them voluntarily.

That is why they are MANDATORY for everyone!

Semper Fi 75

Troop,

Totally beside the point.

The key here is that the poor guy could not swim. Heck, he obviously could not even tread water. Thus he had NO BUSINESS being on the water without a life jacket on.

Period.

BTW, there are many different styles of life jackets and not all are so encumbering to the act of paddling. I know this first hand.

I agree with the stupidity aspect, canoes are 'tippy' in the best of conditions.

I have also made the trip from Bullhead City, 57 miles over 3 days to Havasu via canoe. About 40 Boyscouts, dads, and leaders. Only PFD's I remember seeing were the ones we sat on when our butts got sore.

That is truly a shame Troop. Everyone in a canoe should be wearing a lifejacket. Especially on a long trip like that.
I know paddling a canoe/kayak can be done with them on, the 40 canoes/kayaks that went through the lock with us last June had them on, and they were paddling about 20 miles that day.

Very sad.

Can anyone explain to me why people that can't swim are still attracted to the water? I guess not being able to swim isn't the same as being afraid of the water? I am not joking about this, really. My dad couldn't swim until he was about 55 years old (and even now at 66 he's just able to dog paddle) but was always in the pool with us (in the shallow end), and he had owned boats on and off since before I was born! And then when I was 7 he bought a new boat and a few years later we moved to a lake, so that the house was only 100' from the water. He even learned to water ski at age 42, and he couldn't swim. So why do people do that? Anyone know?

I wish I knew. I'm trying to get my wife to learn how, and this will only reinforce my point. There have been more than enough drownings this summer in central Indiana. The worst was when three high school age kids decided to swim out to the middle of the lake, and back. No life jackets, and one of them got tired about halfway there. Needless to say, he drowned, and his two friends got to watch him go under. I just don't get it...

I was a state finalist in swimming in high school, and a beach life guard for 16 yrs in Atlantic City and I NEVER go in the water without flotation unless I'm in a race (which I don't do any more). If I go for a swim I take a bumper with me looped over my shoulder. I've seen too many "accidents" that could have been prevented.

Hey Troop. You did the back stretch. My son did that one and says it almost killed them. When they name a canyon "Windy Canyon", you probably shouldn't canoe there. Did you see any bighorn sheep?

Seriously, though, the scout leaders you were with are not up to scouting standards if they did not require PFD's on all bodies at all times in the canoe, regardless of swimming ability. It is their responsibility and should have been covered in their "Swimming Safety" and "Safety Afloat" training, right after they learned not to put cub scouts on their laps in the "Youth Protection" training .

Semper Fi 75

"Neither was wearing a life jacket, although there were life jackets at the scene"

Life jackets at the scene. I bet they had them in the canoe.