SAN ANTONIO — A fishing trip ends in tragedy.
A family is mourning the loss of a father who they say drowned. Family tells KENS 5 Selvin Salgado was fishing with his 24-year-old son, Monday. Officials say the 45-year-old fell into a far south side water hole near the San Antonio River. The family said Salgado was a hard-working roofer who enjoyed fishing on his spare time. He leaves behind his wife and two sons.
Meanwhile, the New Braunfels Fire Dive Team answered the call to find Salgado's body. They're a regional asset, as there is no dive team with San Antonio Fire or on the county side.
James Pierce is the dive team leader with the team. Pierce talked about a tragedy 26 years ago that motivated him to become a diver.
"There was a young man who drowned," he said. "I couldn't do anything to help his family or anyone with him. And it hit me. I went back to the fire station and told me chief I am going to become a diver."
Pierce, now a leader, talked about the biggest challenges they face when they respond to different calls.
"The biggest struggle that we find is that we have zero visibility," he said. "Imagine closing your eyes and going underwater."
The New Braunfels Fire Dive team has 35 members. Pierce said there's a lot of caution going into recovery missions.
"We typically do a minimum of ten dives for recovery a year," he said. "This year we have been pretty busy. I was counting the other day. And I think we are up to six."
One of those recovery missions was on Monday. The dive team got the call to find Salgado's' body. He said a few members of the team already live in the city.
"We get to the scene and what we look for is the last point scene," Pierce said.
Pierce said he sent in one of his most experienced divers. He said they recovered Salgado before their trailer full of equipment even arrived. He said it took less than an hour.
"The body of water was not very large," he said. "It was kind of like a swimming hole maybe like 50x50. The thing about those areas on San Antonio River like that is you don't know of the flow of water and how it cuts the ground."
New Braunfels Fire Chief Ruy Lozano talked about the great need of having an experienced dive team.
"There are so many possibilities for a dive event to occur that it is good to have a good well-trained and well-prepared dive team and that's who we are," he said.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner has not released an official cause and manner of death for Salgado. The family said he will be greatly missed.