A swimmer went into the water at Wekiva Island in Longwood just before 7:15 p.m. Monday and did not come back up. Dive teams who searched the area later recovered a body. The Seminole County Fire Department said the person is deceased and their identity is unknown, leaving a stretch of one of Central Florida’s most visited natural springs shadowed by an unanswered question.
What Officials Have Confirmed So Far
According to WESH 2, a body was found at Wekiva Island in Longwood after officials said a swimmer went into the water and did not come back up just before 7:15 p.m. Monday. The Seminole County Fire Department confirmed that the person is deceased and that their identity is unknown. Dive teams participated in the search that led to the recovery, the station reported.
The circumstances surrounding what happened are unclear, the fire department said, and no additional details about how the swimmer entered the water or what led to the incident have been released. Separately, Wekiwa Springs State Park sits at 1800 Wekiwa Circle in Apopka, a spot where, per the same account, visitors can typically enjoy a picnic, take a swim, rent a canoe, or head out on a hike or horseback ride.
A Spring Known for Both Recreation and Risk
Wekiwa Springs draws crowds precisely because of the qualities that can also make it dangerous. Canoes and kayaks can be rented inside the park itself and at other liveries along Rock Springs Run and the Wekiva River, according to the Florida State Parks service, making the springs a magnet for swimmers, paddlers and divers alike. But the same underwater terrain that makes the spring appealing for exploration has posed challenges for rescuers before.
In a separate 2020 incident at the park, witnesses reported seeing a man dive into the spring and remain underwater for more than an hour, prompting an extensive search, FOX 35 Orlando reported at the time. Three separate people, including an off-duty law enforcement officer, told Orange County Fire Rescue crews they had seen the man dive, and divers subsequently searched three caves in the area between roughly 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. without finding him. Officials said the spring drops 20 to 30 feet straight down and gushes 500 gallons of water per second, and crews noted the man had been diving alone with no good description available. An Orange County Fire Rescue spokeswoman said afterward that it was possible the individual who was spotted had simply cleared the area and left without the witnesses noticing, and the park reopened that same afternoon.
A History of Water Emergencies at the Park
Wekiwa Springs has seen tragedy before. Back in March 1997, an 81-year-old Maitland woman apparently drowned while swimming at the park, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Witnesses said Sylvia Hubbard was swimming at about 4 p.m. when she leaned to one side and began splashing; she was pulled from the water and paramedics attempted to revive her, but she was declared dead at Orlando Regional Medical Center…