'I lost hope once,' says man who spent nearly four hours in Lake Tahoe before being rescued
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 07/24/2022 - 12:10pm
Two-hundred-thirty-one minutes. Three hours and 51 minutes. That's how long Jose Gonzalez was in the cold water of Lake Tahoe on July 20 after falling off a jet ski.
"I didn't think I'd make it," said Jose from his home in Santa Maria, Calif.
The 45-year-old married father of six had been spending the day on Lake Tahoe after he and his wife and their youngest child went to stay with family friends in Reno. Their friend brought two jet skis to use at the lake, and they settled on the beach for a fun day in the sun and on the water.
Jose was on the lake aboard one of the jet skis, his wife Patty and their female friend on the other.
"The ladies were riding together, then I passed them," said Jose. He doesn't know why he did that since he wanted to be safe as he doesn't know how to swim. He can paddle and tread water but does not swim.
Yes, the man who spent almost four hours floating in Lake Tahoe before being saved is not a swimmer which makes Wednesday's rescue even more amazing. He survived because he was wearing his friend's life jacket.
When he came off the jet ski, Jose says he went down a few feet and it took him a few paddles to get back to the surface.
"The water felt heavy," said Jose.
The jet ski kept moving away from him. He held onto the life jacket, and over the next 231 minutes, he kept his head above water by using his hand to grab and hold onto the jacket's zipper.
He was a far distance from the jet ski when he saw a sailboat come by it. They circled around and called in the coordinates of the location to the Coast Guard.
Jose said he felt they'd be telling someone they found a driverless water vessel.
It turns out those on the sailboat live in Kings Beach and are experienced with navigating on Lake Tahoe. They had heard of a missing jetskier on their radio and wanted rescuers to head out to the location. The couple didn't see Jose who estimates he was about one mile away from the jet ski by that time, but he saw them and it gave him some hope.
At this time, Jose and Patty's 13-year-old daughter was on the beach. He said she stayed calm throughout the ordeal. Jose said she knows his phone's password and was able to open it and be in touch with first responders who were trying to find her dad.
Jose said he was feeling pressure from the large lake, the 36 cubic miles of water that was around him.
"A lot of things went through my head," said Jose. "I didn't think I'd make it but then I saw the helicopters in the distance."
He figured they were looking for him, and they were before being pulled off to a serious car crash near Round Hill Pines. He said they were much closer to shore than he was. Jose said the Coast Guard told him he was three miles from shore when rescued.
Jose said he was scared at times during the ordeal but also felt cheerful at other times. The waves on the lake were coming at him from all directions. He said he tried to paddle, but as soon as he stopped the current would send him backward, so he rested.
"Overall I felt very calm but two times I felt very desperate," said Jose. "I lost hope once."
During the time in the water, Jose said he worried about his family. He and Patty's six kids range in age from 13 to 23 years old. His job back in Santa Maria is at the City's landfill, weighing the vehicles as they enter the dump.
Then, at 7:31 p.m., he was rescued. He was wearing his Apple watch when he went in at 3:40 p.m., then watching the time as he stayed in the water. He was too far away from the phone to have any of its features available to him.
His Coast Guard rescuers took him to the boat ramp at Cave Rock where paramedics were waiting. Once he was checked over, he was released to the care of his family without having to go to the hospital.
Once on land, Jose learned of the features of the lifejacket he was wearing. Little did he know there was a flare and a whistle, along with a knife. The lifejacket bore the name "Milkman," the nickname of his Reno friend. This friend had strapped Jose tightly into it with knots...and that saved his life.
"I'm very grateful to the sailors from Kings Beach," said Jose after learning of their part in his rescue.
"Thank you for everyone's efforts, people on kayaks, helicopters," said Jose. "I can't thank the rescuers enough, and those show prayed for me."
His family called their friends to start praying for him as he was out in the lake.
So, is jetskiing in Jose's future?
"I think I'll go jetskiing again but the safety measures will be different," he said. "Stay in pairs, stay close to crowds ... and always wear a lifejacket!"
