Ooltewah kayaker drowns Sunday

A man drowned after his kayak capsized Sunday afternoon and he fell into the water at Harrison Bay State Park, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Christopher Goodine, 27, of Ooltewah, Tennessee, and his girlfriend were swimming and kayaking at a popular swimming area near the state park’s marina, state officials said.

Divers searched for the missing man for several hours, and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office used a remote operated vehicle to search, officials said. His body was recovered at about 6:15 p.m. in around 10 feet of water.

Witnesses told TWRA officers Goodine was about 20 yards from shore in 10 feet of water when he fell off the kayak and struggled.

A nearby park ranger and an off-duty Chattanooga police officer along with several others got in the water to help Goodine, but he went under the water and did not resurface, officials said. Goodine was not wearing a life jacket.

Scott Steward, a manager at Rusty’s Kayaks and PaddleBoards, said he always recommends his customers wear life jackets, especially if they are under 18.

Goodine was not one of Steward’s customers, but Steward said he did start to panic when he saw

emergency personnel arrive and heard it was a kayaker who had gone under.

“We had two of our kayakers out there on the water where all of this stuff was happening,” he said. “Someone told me someone fell off, and I thought it was us. And I was like, ‘What is the next step? What do we do?’ I wanted to dive in and go help them, but [authorities] were telling people to step back.”

Steward said his shop doesn’t sell or rent sit-in kayaks to avoid the kayaks overturning and filling up with water, taking people underwater.

“We’re afraid that happens, and we don’t want that to happen,” he said.

He said his team also warns customers to stay within 10 or 15 feet of the shore and to not go out in water that is over eight feet deep.

“We’re just really

“We’re just really emphasizing … Make sure, if you don’t know how to swim or not a good swimmer, you need to have your life jackets on at all times, ready to go, not tucked away in a boat.”

— SCOTT STEWARD, A MANAGER AT RUSTY’S KAYAKS AND PADDLEBOARDS

emphasizing … make sure, if you don’t know how to swim or not a good swimmer, you need to have your life jackets on at all times, ready to go, not tucked away in a boat,” he said.

Last year saw two kayaking fatalities and three serious injuries, according to TWRA records.

Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.