A Gwinnett County firefighter and rescue specialist died Saturday in a tragic scuba diving accident at a Bartow County watersports park.
Lt. Robert Fernandez drowned while diving recreationally at the Kraken Springs Watersports Park, a spokesman for the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. No foul play is suspected in Fernandez’s death.
Kraken Springs, a recreational open water diving facility, announced the death Sunday in a Facebook post and later linked to a GoFundMe page created to benefit Fernandez’s family.
Neither Kraken Springs nor the sheriff’s office could offer details about the circumstances that led to Fernandez’s death. He was an experienced diver and a member of the Gwinnett Swiftwater Rescue Team, a specialized unit trained for water rescue operations in extreme conditions.
Yesterday, Saturday May 01, a diver was involved in an accident. We, at Kraken Springs, are devastated by this accident...
Posted by Kraken Springs Watersports Park on Sunday, May 2, 2021
“Extensive research will be needed to learn exactly what caused the accident,” Kraken Springs said on Facebook.
Fernandez’s body was turned over to the GBI Medical Examiner for an autopsy, according to the sheriff’s office.
The AJC has reached out to the Gwinnett fire department for more information about Fernandez. He is survived by his wife and two young children, according to a Give in Kind meal assistance page set up for his family.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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