When I was in my teens I nearly drowned in the Atlantic Ocean in the state of Maine. One moment everything is fine. Seconds later you are fighting for your life. It is terrifying. I was lucky. One of my friends was strong enough to pull me to safety. I still think about what could have happened 40 years later. A 13 year old boy in Port Jervis tragically lost his life swimming in the Delaware River this past Saturday. Near the same location where another 13 year old boy drowned back in 2007. Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden says police were called to the Delaware River near Laurel Grove Cemetery just after 6 PM. One of the boy's friends reported his friend started to struggle and went under. Dive teams responded and recovered the boy's body less than two hours later near the I-84 bridge. The boy's name has not yet been released. I've lived near the Delaware River for almost 20 years. Many people have drowned just in the time I've lived in the area. When you look at the river it looks pretty calm and shallow. What most people don't know is parts of the river have deep ruts and strong currents. One minute you're in three feet of water. Then you suddenly slip into 9 feet of water and a strong current. My heart goes out to this boy and his family.
Source: Record on Line