Team USA Triathlete Spencer Korwin Dead at 38 After Drowning on Family Vacation, Wife Pays Emotional Tribute

Former Team USA triathlete Spencer Korwin died after a drowning incident while on vacation with his family. He was 38.

Korwin’s body was found on Wednesday, September 2, after he had gone missing on New York’s Shelter Island. The athlete went for a swim off the dock at The Pridwin Hotel on Wednesday morning, according to the Shelter Island Police Department. 

Shelter Island P.D.’s Jack Thilberg said Korwin’s death is believed to be accidental, but the investigation is ongoing. 

Spencer, his wife, Carly, and their two young daughters — Sadie, 4, and Coco, 23 months — were vacationing on the Island at the time of the triathlete’s death.

John Kirincic of the Southold Town Police Department, who was involved in the search for Korwin, said “there wasn’t anything unusual” about the conditions on the day of the drowning. 

“There was no fog or anything bad,” Kirincic told the Shelter Island Reporter. 

Spencer competed for Team USA Triathlon at the 2012 World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand.

At a memorial service in New York City on Sunday, September 6, Carly emotionally remembered her late husband.

“This is a nightmare,” she said during her eulogy, according to the New York Post. “This is the worst day of my life. I can’t accept that this is real and that Spencer is not going to come home. Spencer was more than I could ever have dreamed of when it came to a husband, a father, and a friend. He was the best human I have ever met, and he was the love of my life. We had the most beautiful and special once-in-a-lifetime type of love, and we knew it.”

Carly continued, “We always said forever isn’t long enough. And I will never be able to make sense as to why this incredible life we built together, filled with happiness and so much love, was ripped away from us in an instant.”

The widow added that the couple’s two daughters “will never stop missing him, and he will forever be their hero.”

Shelter Island Police Chief James Read urged that Spencer’s death should be a tragic warning sign for other swimmers in the area. 

“Enjoy the water, but respect it,” he told The Suffolk Times. “Swim at a lifeguarded beach whenever possible, don’t swim alone, be aware of tides and currents, and use additional caution around docks and areas with boat traffic. Parents should closely supervise children around the water, and boaters should also be particularly attentive with the increased holiday weekend activity.”

The chief continued, “Even strong and experienced swimmers should never underestimate open water or changing conditions.”