Spencer Korwin, a 38-year-old Manhattan father and former Team USA triathlete, drowned Wednesday morning while swimming off the dock of the Pridwin Hotel on Shelter Island, New York, where he was vacationing with his wife and two young daughters, according to police and multiple local news outlets.
Korwin entered the water from the hotel’s private dock around 8 a.m., according to the Shelter Island Reporter. When he did not return, his wife alerted hotel staff, who contacted emergency services, People reported. An “extensive multi-agency effort” involving several area police departments and the U.S. Coast Guard was launched to search for him, according to the Southold Town Police Department. A Southold dive team recovered Korwin’s body near the hotel dock around 3 p.m., roughly seven hours after he had gone missing.
Shelter Island Police Sgt. Jack Thilberg said the drowning is believed to have been accidental, though the investigation remains ongoing and the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet issued an official cause of death.
Residents and officials described conditions that morning as deceptively calm. Southold Town Police Marine One master John Kirincic, who was involved in the search, said there was “nothing unusual” about the weather or water conditions at the time. Still, Shelter Island Police Chief James Read noted that the surrounding waters carry currents, tides and boat traffic that require caution even for strong swimmers. Local officials have since posted new “Warning Swimming Not Advised” signage at nearby Crescent Beach and are using the incident to caution Labor Day weekend visitors about the area’s often unpredictable currents.
Korwin, a Syracuse University graduate, competed for Team USA at the 2012 Triathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, and was sponsored by Gatorade for five years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He went on to build a career in athletic training and wellness, working at SportsLab NYC before founding Korwin Health & Wellness in Manhattan.
He is survived by his wife and two daughters, ages 4 and 1. A GoFundMe page established to support his family has raised more than $270,000, with organizers describing him as “a beloved husband, father, son, brother, and friend” whose loss is being “felt deeply by everyone who knew and loved him.”
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