Man clings to rock after current sweeps him down Utah river during cold plunge
A man had to be rescued from a Utah river after he was swept up by the fast current during a cold plunge, officials said.
Rescue crews responded to a call for help with a swift water rescue in Big Cottonwood Canyon around 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, the Unified Fire Authority said on Facebook.
A group of people had gone to Big Cottonwood Creek “to do some cold plunging” when a man in the group got swept up in the current, a spokesperson with the agency told KSLTV.
The man was carried about 50 feet down river before he managed to grab onto a small rock, which he climbed on top of to wait for rescuers to arrive, KSTU reported.
Rescue crews secured him in place with a rope line and gave him a helmet and a flotation vest, Unified Fire Authority said in the post. Rescuers debated pulling him to shore but determined it wouldn’t be safe enough.
Instead, Heavy Rescue units would perform a high angle rope rescue, the agency said. Secondary teams were set up down river with more rope lines and a safety net as backup rescue measures.
Crews removed the cold plunger from the river and he was able to go home, the agency said. Photos show a rescuer descending over the fast moving river from the fire engine’s ladder and hoisting him up and out of the river onto the overpass where the truck was parked.
“This was a best case scenario but very easily could have turned out differently,” the agency said. “Stay away from fast moving water. It’s much stronger than you realize and getting swept away happens in a moment.”
Both Big and Little Cottonwood rivers are protected watersheds, and entering them violates state regulations, officials said.
“The spring runoff is real,” agency spokesperson Kelly Bird told KSTU. “This was a strong, fit individual. Probably thought they were a really good swimmer, and it took them away and there was nothing they could do about it. So the message is don’t get in the water. It’s that simple.”
Bird went on to say people shouldn’t even go near the water unless they’re wearing a personal flotation device and have a buddy with them.
“Luckily we did have more than one person here. They were a party of two so an immediate 911 response was called in,” Bird said. “But if you are going to go recreate, make sure you’ve got people with you. If you’re near the water make sure you’re wearing a personal flotation device. It’s cold … it’s gonna take your breath away, it’s gonna make your muscles immediately stop having full function. So we just want everyone to recognize that it’s very dangerous right now.”
Big Cottonwood Creek is about a 20-mile drive southeast from Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Man clings to rock after current sweeps him down Utah river during cold plunge."
