Idaho man drowns in Owyhee River By William Anderson Argus Observer, Ontario, OR Wednesday, May 25, 2011 11:09 AM PDT VALE — A Hauser, Idaho, man drowned after being tossed from an inflatable kayak while rafting down the Owyhee River Monday afternoon. A group, headed up by a reputable river guide outfitter, was rafting down the Owyhee River between Rome and Birch Creek when a two-person inflatable kayak was knocked over on the rapid called “upset”, and both people were tossed into the river and were submerged. One of the passengers surfaced quickly, while the second did not come up to the surface for about 15 minutes. When he did resurface, the man was pulled to the banks of the river, where CPR was immediately started and an air ambulance was called. Upon the arrival of the ambulance, the man was pronounced deceased. The man was 65-year-old Robert Desmarais, of Hauser. Malheur County Undersheriff Brian Wolfe said both passengers in the kayak were wearing PFDs and foul play is not suspected. Monday, the Owyhee River was running at about 4,400 CFS in the area of the accident.