A 31-year-old U.S. Army captain assigned to the United States Military Academy at West Point has died during a scuba training dive at Lake Hydra in Pennsylvania.
Captain Stephen O. Adjei died on Saturday, September 26, while diving at the former limestone quarry near Bethlehem, where a group from West Point was among several diving parties using the facility that day.
The United States Military Academy has confirmed Adjei’s death and said the circumstances surrounding it remain under investigation.
“Our hearts are with the Adjei family during this difficult time,” West Point Commandant of Cadets Brigadier General Joe Katz said in a statement.
“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.”
Adjei was assigned to West Point’s Department of Military Instruction. He was commissioned through the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at the University of Dubuque in Iowa in May 2017 and had been assigned to West Point since 2024.
Originally from Ghana, Adjei had also lived in Worcester, Massachusetts.
According to reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Adjei went missing underwater during the training activity at Lake Hydra.
Divers from another group at the lake joined the search after learning that a diver was missing. Dave Barnes, who runs Philadelphia-based Scubadelphia Diveseekers, told the newspaper that he sent members of his group into the water to assist.
Two members of that group, a paramedic and a physician, subsequently helped provide medical assistance after Adjei was brought ashore.
The precise sequence of events underwater has not been established publicly.
Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio is investigating the cause of Adjei’s death. No official finding has yet established whether a medical problem, equipment issue, diving-related incident or another factor was involved.
That distinction is important while the investigation remains open. Reports concerning conditions at the lake or normal lost-diver procedures do not establish what caused Adjei’s death.
Training at Lake Hydra
Lake Hydra is a 55-acre, spring-fed former limestone quarry in Northampton County near Bethlehem. The site was formerly known as Dutch Springs, one of the best-known inland diving locations in the northeastern United States.
The quarry was redeveloped as Lake Hydra and formally established under its current operation in 2024.
Today, Lake Hydra operates specifically as a scuba and underwater training facility rather than as a general recreational swimming or watersports venue.
Its published rules state that the facility is open to insured certified instructors, organisations and dive professionals and their students.
The lake reaches depths of approximately 100 feet and contains training platforms as well as numerous submerged attractions, including a Cessna aircraft, Sikorsky helicopter, school bus, tanker truck, fire truck and other structures.
Lake Hydra owner Ken Kraft told The Philadelphia Inquirer that approximately 140 people were at the facility on the day Adjei died.
Other dive operators were conducting activities at the quarry that weekend, with publicly listed events including certification and guided dives on September 26.
The facility publishes additional requirements for deeper diving, including appropriate training and equipment for dives below 80 feet.
There is currently no official information establishing the depth at which Adjei was diving or indicating that the incident involved a deep dive.
Investigation Continues
West Point has not released further details about the circumstances leading to Adjei’s death beyond confirming that the incident occurred during an off-post dive.
The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office is continuing its work to determine how Adjei died.
Until those findings or further investigative information are released, the cause of the fatal incident remains unknown.
The Scuba News will update this report if West Point, the coroner or other authorities release material new information about the circumstances of the dive.
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