A man died Sunday in a boating accident off Fiesta Island. Lifeguards said the man was riding an inner tube behind a boat when he fell off and his party was unable to find him.
"They found the jacket at a different location from where he fell off. And we can't understand how," said an emotional Jose Villescuza, a friend of the victim.
"He's a really good swimmer. We don't understand."
Lifeguards said they received the call 10 minutes before 6:00 p.m. The victim was found just a few minutes later.
"The person was found by another vessel, face-down in the water, not breathing and was transported to ski beach here on land," said Lt. Andy Lerum of San Diego Lifeguards.
Emergency crews tried to revive the victim for roughly 20 minutes. He was later taken to hospital where he was declared dead.
Lifeguards don't know what caused the accident but say his life vest may have been put on partially or incompletely.
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Lerum also said there may have been a problem with the equipment.
"We're still investigating but there may not have been enough air inflated in the inner tube to keep the tube pieces together," he said.
