Angler drowns in Medard Reservoir

DURANT - Hillsborough County sheriff's divers have recovered the body of a man who drowned Monday afternoon at Medard Reservoir Park.

Deputies said David Hernandez and four other men were cast-net fishing from the shore of the park's 700-acre lake. Hernandez went into the water to retrieve a net and disappeared, authorities said.

Divers, who were called to the park about 2 p.m., recovered the body an hour later about 30 feet from shore in 12-foot-deep water, said Cpl. Ryan Balsiero, head of the sheriff's dive team.

The fishing net was neatly rolled and tucked into Hernandez's shorts, Balsiero said.

Hernandez had a Mulberry address and was in his 30s, authorities said.

The investigation is continuing, but Balsiero speculated that Hernandez was overwhelmed by the cold lake water. He estimated the water temperature was in the 60s. Cold water can cause even the best swimmers to cramp up and then panic, Balsiero said.

"If you don't get out of the water, you'll be in trouble," he said.

His dive team handles more drownings in the winter than in the summer because people misjudge how cold the water gets and the toll it can take on the body, Balsiero said.

"It's a sunny day, and we're out here in short-sleeved shirts," he said. "But the water is cold, and it doesn't take long."

The 1,284-acre Medard Reservoir, just east of Brandon, is popular with anglers and is the county's second most-visited park.

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