Man dies diving off Angora Lakes cliffs

A 21-year-old man from Illinois died Wednesday at Angora Lakes.

Cameron Gillen, 21, Libertyville, Ill., was diving off the cliffs at the lake about 6pm July 1.

There are three normal areas where people dive. Gillen went up higher, according to El Dorado County sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Seligsohn.

“This young man went to the highest point and then scaled the cliff another 40 to 60 feet. As he goes up, he’s not going straight up, he’s also going away from the lake,” Seligsohn told Lake Tahoe News. “When he jumps I don’t think he possibly could have gone out far enough, so he struck at the base of the cliff.”

Paddleboarders brought him to shore and CPR was begun

First responders from the sheriff’s department, Lake Valley Fire and Calstar tried advanced life saving techniques for an hour before pronouncing the man’s death.

The lake level is not an issue. But the spot where one jumps from can make a world of difference.

Seligsohn warns people, “You can only jump as far out as you can jump from the ground.” In other words, if someone can do a 6-foot broad jump on flat ground, that’s as far as they will be able to leap from a cliff.

“Keep it to where everyone dives in from and you are likely to be safe,” Seligsohn said. Seeking a new, riskier adventure, he said, can have fatal consequences.

— Kathryn Reed