SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Sweetwater High School students returned to class Thursday just one day after a classmate died after reportedly jumping from Sunset Cliffs and being underwater for almost an hour.
Several students told 10News they are in shock that their classmate, 10th grade student Anthony Womack, is no longer with them.
“First, I was shocked because it was just out of nowhere. I just couldn’t believe it,” said one student.
Friends described Womack as a good student who was humble and had an easygoing personality.
RELATED: Teen dies after jumping from Sunset Cliffs
"What I remember is that he was a good kid," said a classmate who knew Womack since middle school.
10News learned the 15-year-old Womack and some friends skipped school to spend time at Sunset Cliffs on Wednesday.
His friends told San Diego Lifeguards that the teen jumped into the water but immediately started to panic.
The friends said they were unaware that Womack did not know how to swim.
Lifeguards said divers took nearly an hour to find the boy because there was zero visibility in the water.
A classmate told 10News, “I can’t imagine how the kid felt and how the friends felt like being underwater so long and think that he’ll be OK.”
Another student added, "It's a lesson for me because I usually think about ditching school, but after that, this is a good choice [to] just come here." Counselors and resources were on hand at the Sweetwater High campus to help students who were grieving.
Several students said a vigil for Womack is being planned for later this week.
A GoFundMe account was set up for Womack's family.
