PORT ANGELES – The body of the New York man who drowned while kayaking with his fiancée on June 9 was recovered last Wednesday in Lake Crescent.

Olympic National Park in conjunction with Christian Aid Ministries, a non-profit organization from Berlin, OH, recovered 37-year-old Travis Valenti’s body from the lake using boat-mounted sonar technology to locate him in almost 400 feet of water. Once the group acquired what they call a “high probability find” of the body, Olympic National Park was notified, and two Park Rangers were dispatched in a boat to meet the group on the lake.

Christian Aid Ministries used a remote operated vehicle to locate the body in the water, which then used a grabber tool to bring the body to the surface. Mr. Valenti’s body was put aboard the National Park Service boat and then brought ashore. The coroner’s office was notified, as well as the family of the victim.

On June 9, Valenti’s kayak began taking on water and he was eventually forced to enter the water about a quarter mile offshore from Log Cabin Resort. When Valenti’s fiancée attempted rescue, her kayak overturned as well.

She was able to swim to shore but Valenti struggled and went under.