Officials warn the public to wear a life jacket after having 10 drownings last summer on Lake Travis. It was the highest number of drownings Lake Travis has had ever in the summer, officials said.

In 2021, 10 people drowned in Lake Travis. That's the highest number of lives lost on the lake in its history. In an effort to educate the public and avoid more tragedies, officials stressed the importance of life jackets during a media briefing on Thursday, April 21 at Lake Travis. 

Kristen Dark, public information officer for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, says the destination is visited by over 200,000 people every summer. Over the years, Dark said they have seen no more than eight drownings in a single summer. However, last year, there were an unprecedented amount of deaths.

"Our Lake patrol deputies were literally in recovery missions for nine weeks straight last year," Dark said. "Drowning on Lake Travis is a tragedy that's preventable. All it takes is a life jacket. All it takes is a personal floatation device. Our dive team has never been on a recovery mission and had to dive and recover the body of someone who was wearing a life jacket. It literally is the chance between life and death."

In the briefing, Dark stressed how Lake Travis is not your average lake. It's not a bowl-like lake. Instead, it's a flooded canyon, she said. It was not designed to be a recreational body of water when it first flooded. The story of Lake Travis starts in 1935 with one of the greatest floods ever to hit Austin.

Due to it being a canyon, the sides of the lake are chiseled out and go straight down. Dark said, "you can be standing in three feet of water and take one step, and be in 30 feet of water." She added it's also dangerous to make the assumption that when you get closer to the shoreline, you're going to be going into more shallow water.

"We've had people make that mistake, that deadly mistake in the past," Dark said. "Life jackets are your chance to save your life. It's the one thing you can do to guarantee your safety because tragedy strikes quickly and seconds count."

Law Enforcement Major Craig Smith stressed how it's important to call 911 immediately if you see someone in distress. Smith said sometimes they have two drowning victims after one person jumps in and tries to rescue the person who needs help. He said they experienced that case last weekend when they recovered two men who drowned along the Colorado River near Little Webberville Park.

When these tragedies happen, Smith said it takes a lot of work to get people to come out as quickly as possible. He said they also have to close off areas of the lake. 

"There's a lot that goes on when someone loses their life in the lake," Smith said. "It's just such a tragedy, and we want people to have a great time. This is a beautiful lake. There's a lot to do here, but it can also be very dangerous."

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Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre.