Search continues for swimmer missing from 32,500-acre Lake Norman

North Carolina authorities are searching for a swimmer who went missing in Lake Norman on July 4.

Authorities are focusing their search on an area called The Sandbar, a popular gathering place for boats west of Cornelius.

Cornelius-Lemley firefighters said on Facebook that they were working alongside Huntersville firefighters, Denver firefighters and other agencies to respond to a “drowning incident.”

Both the Huntersville and Denver fire departments provided fire boats to assist in the search.

“First responders are back today, continuing yesterday’s search on Lake Norman. Many worked late into the night last night on this search,” the Huntersville Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

The Cornelius Police Department urged boaters to avoid the area around the Sandbar while the search continues.

“It is crucial to keep the water as calm as possible to ensure our sonar equipment can be most effective in the ongoing search and rescue efforts,” Cornelius police said on Facebook.

Police thanked the public for their “cooperation and understanding”.

Authorities have not released the identity of the missing swimmer.

Newsweek I contacted the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for more information.

Lake Norman is 32,510 acres in size and has a maximum depth of 110 feet. Created between 1959 and 1964, it is the largest man-made body of water in North Carolina. The lake flows through Iredell County, about 40 miles north of Charlotte. This body of water is sometimes called North Carolina's “inland sea.”

Search and rescue crews recovered the body of a missing boater from Lake Norman, near The Sandbar, around this time last year.

Authorities found the body of Keith Austin, 16, on July 2, 2023, a day after he went missing, The Charlotte Observer reported. The South Mecklenburg High School student drowned in the lake. He played rugby and had “an infectious smile,” the school wrote on Facebook.

The body of another boater, Anthony Barnes, 49, of Mooresville, was found near The Sandbar two weeks later, on July 16. The search lasted several hours, beginning around 7 p.m. and ending when the recovery was announced at 11:30 p.m.

Barnes was a passenger on a personal watercraft when it capsized near The Sandbar. The operator of the personal watercraft surfaced safely, but Barnes did not.

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