Boater Who Drowned In Lake Del Valle Believed To Be Pro Jockey Shawn Spikes

LIVERMORE (CBS SF) - Crews Wednesday morning retrieved the body of a missing boater from Lake Del Valle in Livermore, officials confirmed.

Friends and family members say they believe the body is that of 23-year-old San Francisco resident and professional jockey Shawn Spikes.

Spikes had rented a boat with a group of friends Tuesday night and went overboard and never resurfaced. Police said life vests were in the boat but it was not clear whether Spikes was wearing one.

Alameda County dive teams overnight pulled a body from the water around 11:00 Wednesday morning.

This is the second such incident in just a handful of days. Sunday, another man who was not wearing a life jacket drowned in nearly the same spot at the north end of Lake Del Valle. The Alameda County Sheriff's Department says the two men's bodies were found within 50 feet of one another. It's still unclear how this boater fell into the water.

One of Spikes' colleagues, John Leon, works in horse racing at the Alameda County Fairgrounds and says he travels with Spikes in the summer months as they tour the region.

I think everyone is just in shock," said Leon. "He's an amazing person, I just saw him a few days ago he stopped to say 'hi' and smiled he had a beautiful smile."

KPIX profiled Shawn Spikes at last year's Alameda County Fair. His friends say as a jockey he's an athletic up-and-comer, but there's no denying his character.

"He's just a happy guy, wore his heart on his sleeve, always came from his heart," friend Eddie Scanlon said.

With the warm weather season just beginning, a lot of people will be out on the water, so emergency officials are using this as a reminder to be smart.

"It's summer, it's hot, and people want to get in the water. Sometimes their skills don't match what they started from last summer. Again, we want to make sure that the priority of the Park District is to make sure our patrons are safe," Lake Del Valle Aquatics Manager Pete DeQuincy said.

A chaplain was on scene with the family of the latest victim Tuesday morning.

The East Bay Regional Park District is stressing to people that if you do go out on the water, wear a life jacket.