Vinings man drowns in Lake Lanier while swimming to boat, officials say

A 46-year-old Vinings man drowned Saturday afternoon on Lake Lanier after he went underwater while swimming to his boat and didn’t resurface, officials said.

The drowning, which marked a tragic start to Labor Day weekend, was reported at Bethel Park, according to Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark McKinnon. Authorities said the man, identified as Hasani Kamau Widemond, was trying to swim from the shore to his boat.

Investigators, including first responders from Forsyth and Hall counties, were called to the lake just before 2 p.m. Using boat mounted sonar, DNR game wardens found Widemond in about 25 feet of water. Forsyth divers recovered his body, with assistance from a Hall County fire remote operated vessel, McKinnon said.

Saturday’s drowning was the third reported on Lake Lanier so far this year. On June 5, 76-year-old Jim Hansard, of Gainesville, was found in 13 feet of water after he was last seen at his dock in Forsyth County near Keith Bridge Park.

On May 29, officials said a 73-year-old Gainesville man drowned while fishing with his wife on the lake. Matthew Mayo tried to sit in their bass boat, but the seat became unbolted from the bottom, causing him to fall into the water, investigators said.

In 2023, 13 people drowned in the lake, according to DNR data.

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