NT Police divers recover body of man in Ellery Creek Big Hole

UPDATED: NT Police divers have found the body of a man who is suspected of drowning in a well-known waterhole

Ellery Creek Big Hole, near Alice Springs, where police divers recovered a man’s body on Monday

THE body of an Alice Springs man has been found by police divers after he failed to resurface after going swimming in a popular waterhole on Sunday night.

Police said a 31-year-old man went swimming with friends at Ellery Creek Big Hole, about 90km west of Alice Springs, about 5.30pm on Sunday.

Superintendent Pauline Vicary said there were no suspicious circumstances and the death has prompted a coronial inquiry.

“The man is a local Alice Springs person who has lived here for several years. We are currently in the process of advising the family that he has been located. We offer our sincerest condolences,” she said.

“At this stage funeral services will be going out to retrieve the body and once that’s done we’ll be able to reopen the area.”

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The man was socialising with a group of friends before he went to swim in the water.

After failing to return, the man’s friends went to an emergency phone 1.5 kilometres away to alert emergency services.

Police and paramedics rushed to the scene but could not locate the body.

A team of four police divers from Darwin travelled to the popular swimming spot on Monday morning and retrieved a body in the afternoon.

Two people have died at the popular swimming spot since 1997.

The water hole can be extremely cold even during summer heatwaves and prolonged exposure can result in hypothermia.

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“Sometimes the waterholes look like they are shallow when in fact they are very deep. It’s very cold and very dark,” Superintendent Vicary said.

“Regardless of your ability to swim, you should take extreme care when swimming in waterholes.”