This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A man died this weekend when he jumped from a cliff into Flaming Gorge.
Michael Pond, 24, was with friends Saturday afternoon who drove to a spot near the top of a high cliff in the Big Firehole area, the Sweetwater, Wyo., County sheriff's office reported. Pond told his friends he wanted to jump into the water from a 175-foot cliff about 3 miles southwest of the bay at Big Firehole, deputies wrote. The friends tried unsuccessfully to discourage Pond, deputies wrote. After he jumped, he did not resurface.
Divers found Pond's body 42 feet underwater.
In 1999, 19-year-old Kevin Corazza died jumping from cliffs in the same area, deputies wrote.
"Cliff diving at Flaming Gorge is extremely dangerous," said Haskell. "People don't realize how terrific the impact with the water is from that height and you don't really know how deep the water is. Jumping in from any serious elevation above the surface is a bad idea."
Erin Alberty