A man drowned in the Oaks Shores area of Lake Berryessa on Sunday after entering the water to save his son, according to the Napa County Sheriff's Office.
The victim was Marciallo Perez, a 35-year-old resident of San Pablo who entered the water around 3 p.m. The boy survived, but Perez was not able to swim back to shore. Napa County's marine unit recovered Perez at 4:17 p.m.
"He was very heroic and successful in saving his son. However, Mr. Perez became fatigued and was unable to make it back to land." sheriff's spokesman Henry Wofford said.
The drowning was the second in six days at Lake Berryessa and seven of the last 10 drownings at Lake Berryessa have taken place at Oak Shores, according to Wofford. The lake has dropoffs that are very steep even close to land and the depth of water changes suddenly.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
"Overestimating their swimming capabilities, underestimated the difficulty of swimming in that situation causes tragic accidents. And it's unfortunate," Wofford said.
He also reported that many of the victims are from outside Napa County and may not be familiar with the lake and are frequently swimmers. Wofford cited fatigue and intoxication as some of the major factors in drownings.
"We encourage everyone whether they are in the water, on the water or near the water to wear a life jacket," said Wofford.
