Kayakers rescued from the storm
Nick Laby News/North Shore – October 21, 2024 / 14:03 | History: 512975
Photo: North Vancouver RCMP
A Royal Canadian Marine search and rescue boat helps rescue kayakers in distress near the mouth of the Seymour River during a weather storm on the river on Sunday, October 20.
As the wettest storm in memory wreaked havoc on the North Shore, a group of kayakers decided it was time to take a paddle.
But this quickly threw them into the deep end.
On Sunday just after 4 p.m., North Vancouver RCMP received a report of a person floating in the Seymour River.
RCMP responded on land and sea in the detachment’s police boat along with Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue and DNV Fire and Rescue Services.
Const said a total of six kayakers were in danger. Mansoor Sahak of North Van RCMP. Some of them managed to get out of the water near Dollarton Highway and Riverside Drive, but others fell into the water or their boats capsized.
Sahak said police deployed a drone to locate the kayakers and rescuers managed to get them out of the water. All six were found and brought back uninjured.
Sahak said he was unsure why the kayakers set out during an atmospheric storm on the river that caused widespread flooding across the region.
“I don’t know what was going through their minds, but it was extremely dangerous,” he said. “The water was so high and aggressive – there could have been a fatal accident with that well.”
Due to extreme weather conditions, getting out of the police helicopter and spotting the kayakers could be difficult.
“This shows how useful it is to have an RPAS (remotely piloted aircraft system) that can be easily deployed,” Sahak said.
Overall, it was a difficult weekend for many North Shore residents affected by the heavy rainfall, he added.
“No one was injured – that’s the most important thing,” Sahak said.
