A 54-year-old Columbia County resident is dead after diving off a bridge into shallow water.
Authorities say the victim, Allen J. Petho, was swimming with friends at the Itchetucknee River at the Columbia County, Suwannee County line.
Friends say around 2 p.m., the victim dove off the Highway 27 bridge into the river. The victim died when he hit the river bottom.
Authorities are reminding people to never dive into water with an unknown depth. Not only is the depth of water important, but there could be rocks or other things in water that may not be visible from the surface.