Kayaker went missing in ‘dangerous’ river May 1. Boise Fire dive team just found a body

The Boise Fire Dive Rescue Team has recovered a body from the Boise River “presumed to be the male kayaker who went missing” on May 1.

The dive team was conducting training on the river Tuesday at around 6 p.m. when it found the body, according to a news release. The Ada County Coroner’s Office will identify the individual after notifying next of kin.

The release said the body was found about a quarter-mile from where the kayaker was last seen, just below the E. Parkcenter Bridge. The kayaker had put in at Barber Park, according to witnesses, and after a search on the afternoon of May 1, the Boise Fire dive team recovered an inflatable kayak but no body, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting.

Since late April, the Boise Fire Department has had posted a “Dangerous River Condition” notice for the Boise River, meaning conditions are “extremely dangerous” for people and pets. Officials recommended that people not recreate in the river, which is flowing at about 6,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).

During the annual summer float season on the river, its flow is between 500 and 1,500 cfs. At 6,000 cfs, the cold water is moving so swiftly that it can carry people and pets away rapidly, cause strong swimmers to lose motor and muscle control, and be full of dangerous debris, according to Boise Fire’s news release Tuesday.