Benefit waterski show held in Lake Wylie drowning victim's honor

Tee Muhammad, 19, drowned Monday in Lake Wylie, after trying to swim from Tega Cay's Windjammer Park to an island in the lake.

Officials said he had told the friend swimming with him that he was getting tired, when he went under in about 25 feet of water.

His friend turned around to swim back to the park, but Muhammad drowned.

So far, there have been five drownings on Lake Wylie this summer.

One happened in June as two men jumped from the Buster Boyd Bridge. Another man drowned at a marina, while a woman drowned while swimming at a sand bar.

TEGA CAY, N.C. — https://twitter.com/GSuskinWSOC9/status/631108496277262339

A fifth drowning was also a swimming accident.

"It’s a very emotional thing," said York County Emergency Management Director Chuck Haynes.

Haynes was there all afternoon Monday as the York County dive team searched for Muhammad until severe storms halted their efforts.

"It’s a totally different environment in the water. There's no light, no visibility, and it's feeling your way. The search patterns are very meticulous," Haynes said.

Muhammad's body was found very close to where eyewitness saw him go under. Officials said the conditions of the lake and Catawba River change rapidly.

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Haynes said distances when you're swimming, can also be deceiving.

"Once you start that swim, there are no landmarks to focus on. Things that seemed shorter, can be a little longer," he said.

Thousands of people kayak and float down the Catawba River this time of year. Emergency officials want to remind water users that the lake and the river are unpredictable, and even good swimmers can be caught off guard.

Sam Vambuskirk was kayaking the Catawba with friends Tuesday afternoon.

He grew up in Tega Cay going to Windjammer Park. He always thought it looked too risky to swim out into the main channel.

"It’s dangerous. A lot of boats are going through there. I'd be surprised if anyone actually tried to swim out there during the day," he said.

Haynes said it may not be much fun to swim with a life jacket, but even strong, experienced swimmers can get worn out, and panic.

Muhammad played football at fort mill high school, before he graduated last year, and was about to begin his sophomore year playing in college.

Benefit waterski show for drowning victim

The Carolina Show Ski Team in Tega Cay -- a non-profit waterski team that performs family friendly shows throughout the Southeast -- will be performing a benefit show in honor of Muhammad this Friday evening.

The show is free, as is parking, and any donations collected will go directly to Muhammad's family.

The show will begin at 7 p.m. at Windjammer Park in Tega Cay.

WSOC