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Search Continues For Missing Boater on Hamlin Lake

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It is Day 3 of a search for a missing boater on Hamlin Lake in Mason County and the search isn’t getting any easier.

The call came in for police early Saturday afternoon, 54-year old Robert Conklin was in the water with another woman.

Nearby boaters were able to save the woman but Conklin went under and hasn’t been seen since.

“They did see the male subject go in the water, they did throw in the life preserver,” says Deputy Adam Lang, Mason County Dive Team Leader, “At no time did he attempt to grab the life preserver at all.”

When searches along the surface came up empty, divers went under and found it to be a mess.

“It’s pretty much almost like swimming through chocolate milk,” says Lamb, “We’re looking in about 10 foot of water but we have eight foot of weeds underneath.”

The weeds caused issues but so did algae on the surface and runoff from recent rains.

“They get maybe a foot to 3 feet of visibility when they are out of the weeds but when they are in the weeds it’s pretty much like they’re going through a car wash,” says Lamb, “You can’t see.”

Divers don’t believe he’s gone far but a complete search will be tedious.

“There’s not a whole lot of current it’s just the visibility,” says Lamb.

Whether it be the big lake on the other side of the dam or one of the inland lakes, this is already the fifth drowning this boating season for Mason County and this is the first one they can remember for a long time here at Hamlin Lake.

“This is the first one on Hamlin for a while but you know with the high water this year, it’s really affecting our swimming areas,” says Lamb.

As with the other losses this summer, the crews will stay out as long as needed to find Conklin.

“We’ve been out here since Saturday,” says Lamb, “And will continue to stay out here.”

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