SUPAI, Arizona — A Utah man drowned over the weekend after attempting to swim into a cave behind a waterfall.
Mark Magleby, 36, of Orem, died Monday at Beaver Falls, authorities said Tuesday.
"The plan was to swim down a tunnel to an underwater cave behind the falls," said Coconino County Sheriff’s Commander Rex Gillilan. "Magleby went down, made his dive to go into the tunnel and never resurfaced."
In order to enter the cave, swimmers must dive several feet under water.
His friend tried to dive into the water after him, but they could not find Magleby and called authorities on the Havasupai Reservation about 3 p.m. Monday. Magleby dived into the water about a half-hour earlier.
Magleby's body was recovered about 7 p.m. Monday.
Cococino County authorities are investigating, but no foul play is suspected.
It was the second drowning in Coconino County during Memorial Day weekend, authorities said. On Saturday, an Arizona man, 18, drowned at Lake Mary near Flagstaff.
Tribal authorities said 250 people registered for use of the area Monday. And the falls are becoming more popular among hikers, Gillilan said. "It can be very risky. A swimmer can get hung up" on underwater debris blocking the path to the cave, Gillilan said.