A 31-year-old U.S. Army officer died while scuba diving at a lake frequented by Philly and New Jersey divers
Stephen O. Adjei was training with U.S. Military Academy West Point when he died at Lake Hydra.
A fatal scuba dive at a lake near Bethlehem, Northampton County, has shaken the Philly region’s tight-knit diving community, leaving divers questioning how an underwater training excursion ended in tragedy.
Stephen O. Adjei, a 31-year-old U.S. Army captain died Saturday while training with U.S. Military Academy West Point — a premier school for those seeking a career in the Army. His death is under investigation, West Point said.
“Our hearts are with the Adjei family during this difficult time. Capt. Adjei’s dedication to our cadets, commitment to his teammates, and service to others left a lasting impact on our community. He will be greatly missed,” said West Point Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Joe Katz.
Originally from Ghana, Adjei had lived in Worcester, Mass., and had worked with the military academy, located in New York state, since 2024, West Point said.
West Point divers made up one of several groups Saturday at Lake Hydra, a limestone quarry near Bethlehem that draws scuba enthusiasts from all over the mid-Atlantic. About 140 people were at the 55-acre lake Saturday, owner Ken Kraft said. According to him, there hasn’t been a diving death since 2022.
Like many sports, diving involves risks, Kraft said.
“That is why we are only open for training and not to the general public, this ensures that a professional is with the diver in training at all times,” he said.
In addition to being a training destination, people enjoy the quarry, previously called Dutch Springs, for its opportunities for underwater exploration, said Dave Barnes, who runs Scubadelphia Diveseekers in Philly. Airplanes, a helicopter, and a school bus are among the attractions on the lake bottom, along with large fish and wildlife.
Barnes said his group was nearby on the north cove of the lake when he learned about a missing diver.
“It’s terrible. I sent my divers in to help search,” Barnes said.
Two of his students — a paramedic and a physician from Philly — helped render aid to Adjei after he was brought ashore, Barnes said.
Kevin Pang, who co-owns South Jersey Scuba in Marlton, N.J., also had divers in the water. Pang said the incident has shocked the community — especially since Adjei was young and presumably fit.
“Scuba diving overall is a really safe sport,” Pang said. “These events are rare. That’s what makes it shocking when it does happen.”
Still, there were some challenges on the lake that day, Pang said. The lake is 100 feet deep at its lowest points. Divers routinely go down to around 60 feet, and overcast weather meant that it was hard to see at those depths. Inexperienced divers can make that situation worse by kicking up mud on the lake bottom, Pang said.
When Adjei went missing, a string of rescue protocols would have gone into effect, he said. Divers typically have a “dive buddy” responsible for maintaining eyes on their partner underwater. If one goes missing, the other diver searches for them for a minute, then surfaces. Usually, Pang said, the missing diver is quickly found at the surface.
It is not yet known whether Adjei’s death resulted from an error or a medical condition. Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said his office is working to determine how Adjei died.
