Paddlers often tour the area of Yellowstone Lake near West Thumb/Kurt Repanshek file photo

A young Utah man in his first season serving as a kayaking guide in Yellowstone National Park died while trying to rescue a client who capsized.

Park officials said Thursday that Timothy Hayden Ryan Conant, 23, of Salt Lake City, went to the aid of a client Wednesday while they were paddling in the West Thumb Area of Yellowstone Lake. The group, outfitted by O.A.R.S., a California company that has offer paddling trips in Yellowstone since 1996, consisted of nine clients and three guides.

Park rangers were still investigating the matter Thursday afternoon and details of how the client capsized and how Mr. Conant ended up in the water were unavailable.

A park release said that rangers, summoned by a call to Yellowstone's dispatch center, had responded to the scene in a patrol boat and found Mr. Conant in the water.

"They brought him on board and immediately started CPR while in route back to the dock. CPR continued as Mr. Conant was transported to the helipad at Grant Village via ambulance (approximately ½-mile from the dock). A Life Flight landed to assist, but Mr. Conant was pronounced dead before taking off," the release added. "The client, who Mr. Conant attempted to save, was rescued by other guides in the group and brought to shore before rangers arrived on scene to help Mr. Conant. The client was transported to the park clinic and treated for hypothermia."

The West Thumb area of Yellowstone Lake is popular with paddlers. There's a boat dock nearby at Grant Village that makes it easy to launch and land canoes and kayaks. The lake, however, can quickly turn from calm, serene waters to turbulent waves when winds kick up.

Falling into the water can quickly turn fatal, as the average year-round temperature of the lake is 43 degrees Fahrenheit. Survival time is estimated to be only 20 to 30 minutes in water of this temperature, according to park officials. Since 1894, there have been 41 deaths in Yellowstone Lake, according to park records. The most recent was in 1997 when two people died while canoeing.

With a surface area of 132 square miles, Yellowstone Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the United States that is above 7,000 feet. It is roughly 20 miles long and 14 miles wide with 141 miles of shoreline.