1 drowned, another almost did. Why this section of the Congaree River is so dangerous
A teenager died and another person had to be rescued Wednesday in a section of the Congaree River that authorities say is particularly dangerous.
While the area of the river between the Blossom Street bridge and the Thomas Newman Public Boat Landing is good for recreation, people need to be cautious, according to Sgt. Evan Antley of the Cayce Department of Public Safety.
“Swimming in that river is unlike any other body of water in the area,” Antley told The State.
The currents can be very strong, and even experienced swimmers can be quickly overcome in seconds, Antley said.
Members of the Cayce DPS rescue team have to train by swimming in the river. Antley said he has never seen a person make it all the way across the Congaree in that section, which is close to locks between Riverland Park and the Cayce Rock Quarry.
“It’s almost physically impossible to swim across,” Antley said. “Training shows you can’t swim across the river against the current.”
What makes this section of the river so precarious is the rocks throughout that can cause some areas to be gentle eddies, while a few feet away powerful currents stream past, Antley said.
Conditions in that part of the Congaree were not especially bad Wednesday, according to Antley. He said the water level was at 3.5 feet, and it was not flowing very fast at the time a Columbia teen went missing. By comparison, Antley said, the river was deeper and flowing faster Thursday morning.
But that might have played a role in the teen’s disappearance, as Antley said swimmers have ventured further out into the river when water levels are low along the shoreline, and they can unknowingly find danger in a rough channel.
“That river is unforgiving,” Antley said.
Authorities suspect Javion Cannon, 17, drowned after he disappeared in the river, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said Thursday in a news release.
Cannon jumped in the river at about 5:30 p.m., went underwater and did not resurface, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
A search began at about 5:45 p.m., and Cannon’s body was found around 9 p.m. in about six feet of water, according to Cayce DPS.
During the search for Cannon, another person was rescued in the water by Cayce DPS and Columbia Fire Department boat crews. That man was tubing before falling into the river, and he was in distress trying to swim out of the current in the same area where Cannon was last seen, Cayce DPS said.
The man was not injured, but he was in a life-threatening situation, Antley said.
“He was in a precarious position, and if the boat crews had not already been searching the area we might have reported two fatals last night,” Antley said.
DPS is called to help boats that have capsized more frequently than swimmers in peril, according to Antley. He said the department received at least two calls last weekend for boats in distress.
Antley said most rescue calls in that stretch of the Congaree don’t end in a recovery mission. Still, he warned people to be cautious.
“That river is just different. You’ve got to be careful,” Antley said.
