Who is drowning?
* Death Rate per 100,000 / Year
Canada’s
Drowning
Prevention
Charity
Canada’s
Drowning
Prevention
Charity
Canada’s
Drowning
Prevention
Charity
Canada’s
Drowning
Prevention
Charity
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Drowning is preventable. Here at the Lifesaving Society of BC & Yukon, we take this statement seriously and know that the primary way to prevent drowning is through creatively communicating preventative drowning information through data visualization.
While our Drowning Board provides concrete numbers, our interactive Drowning Map provides the location and a synopsis of the circumstances surrounding drowning in our area. It can happen quickly; be informed, be prepared and stay safe!
151 Days
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A person out for a morning walk saw the body floating in the water about 40 metres off-shore from the swimming area at the south end of the lake. He says it is too early to determine the cause of death, though O’Brien later said in a news release it is not considered suspicious at this time.
A 29 year-old Chase man missing since the weekend was found dead along the Thompson River near Chase. It is believed the man tried to cross the Thompson River from the north to the south side when his kayak capsized and he drowned shortly after. Investigators do not suspect foul play was involved in the man’s death.
A man is believed to have drowned in Okanagan Lake Saturday Evening. According to Kelowna RCMP, a man fell into the lake at the marina in downtown Kelowna and didn’t surface. The body was later recovered on Monday, Aug 15 and the individual was identified as a 26-year old man from Surrey, BC.
At 6pm on Aug 13, a Calgary man waded into the water with his friends before he entered deep water and became submerged. Cultus Lake Fire Department responded with their rescue boat. By 6:18 p.m., at least two divers were reported in the water searching for the person. The man’s body was later recovered by emergency personnel.
RCMP have confirmed that a man drowned Monday after jumping into the water at Peachland’s Swim Bay. “The drowning occurred just after 2 pm when the victim was with family and friends,” Kelowna RCMP said in a statement. The man jumped into the lake but did not resurface. His body was located by a lifeguard, who began performing lifesaving measures, but unfortunately the man did not survive.
On Sunday, July 31, Bakir Junaideen and his family went to Davidson's Pool, a popular swimming hole in Maple Ridge, and there was a tubing mishap. Junaideen sank underwater for more than seven minutes, until Rob Payne, a nearby resident, dove into the river and pulled him out. Bakir was rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately died on Friday, August 5.
On Sunday, July 31st, 2022, shortly after 10:30 p.m., police received a report of a check well being at Kalamalka Lake Beach in Coldstream. A witness reported seeing a man in the water at the beach who was possibly in need of assistance. The responding frontline officer located and pulled the now unresponsive man from the water to the shore and called for assistance. Coldstream Fire Department and BC Emergency Health Services attempted to resuscitate the man, however, despite the best efforts of rescuers, the victim did not survive and was declared deceased at the scene.
The RCMP's underwater recovery team has been called in after a man was seen being swept away by the Thompson River in Kamloops. Witnesses indicate the male entered the river and was swept away by the current and did not resurface. The Kamloops RCMP were joined by the fire department and conducted a search but were unable to find the man, prompting them to call in the specialized dive team.
At approximately, 7:30 p.m., on Friday, July 29th, 2022, the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP responded to a report that a body had been found floating in the creek at Polson Park. Frontline officers attended and found several bystanders performing CPR on the man. Police took over and continued CPR until the arrival of Vernon Fire Rescue Services personnel who continued to try to resuscitate the man. Sadly, despite life saving efforts of everyone at the scene an 81 year old Vernon man was declared deceased.
An Oliver resident is missing and is presumed to have drowned in Osoyoos Lake while trying to rescue his dog. Osoyoos RCMP say the 41-year-old man was boating in the middle of the lake on Monday evening with a friend, and playing fetch with his dogs. “It appears one of the dogs became distressed and the man swam out to help it,” police said in a press release, adding the boat was stationary.
A man died Saturday night in a lake north of Kelowna, B.C., while he was apparently trying to help someone in the water, police say. Kelowna RCMP said the man drowned around 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Wood Lake. His identity has not been released. Police responded to the incident after boaters reported two men "in distress" in the water. Police described the pair as "passengers" but did not specify if they had been in a boat or other craft.
On Thursday, June 30, at 6:10 p.m., Nelson RCMP were called to a report of a kayaker who had become trapped under a log in the Slocan River near Shoreacres Goosecreek Road, south of Playmor Junction between Nelson and Castlegar. The 62-year old man was taken to hospital, but succumbed to his injuries the following day.
A search was underway in Okanagan Lake after a man jumped in the lake but didn’t resurface. The incident occurred near Squally Point, south of Rattlesnake Island, where the man, Oluwaseun Samson Adedeji, and his five friends were vacationing from Calgary. On Monday, June 27, the RCMP's Underwater Recovery Team finally located and pulled the man's body out of the water.
After searching for 24 hours, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center has suspended their search for a 46 year old man who rented a boat from Granville Island but is now considered missing. When the search began, the police said the man's rental boat was found drifting near Point Atkinson, but there was no sign of the man anywhere.
On Thursday at 2:28pm, officers were called to the Southwest Shore of Kootenay Lake for a boat collision. Investigators found that the boat ran aground near Rhinoceros Point. At the time of the collision, the boat had two occupants. The 25-year-old Boswell man received serious injuries from the crash and later died.
The body of a man, who is presumed to have drowned, was recovered from Long Lake on May 23, 2022. The man had gone for a swim in the lake at 6pm the day before but did not return. When it was discovered that he was missing, the police were contacted and within 5 minutes of launching their vessel, the man's body was recovered.
Two people were rescued after a boat overturned near Nitinat Narrows, off Pacific Rim National Park on the Island's west coast, on Thursday night, but one man is still missing. There was no further word Saturday on the search for a man missing after a private sport-fishing boat overturned at the mouth of Nitinat Narrows.
On May 14, 2022 at approximately 10:50 a.m. the Squamish RCMP was called to assist with a possible drowning at Porteau Cove Provincial Park near Squamish BC. Despite rescue efforts, however, the woman succumbed to her injuries and died at the scene
The RCMP say a search was underway in the waters off Nanaimo, BC, for a man who was presumed to have drowned after a falling off a sailboat. The police had initially found the man's wife who was found clinging to a rope tied to an anchored sailboat, but they said there was no sign of the man who was presumed to have drowned the day before. On May 4, however, the mans body was recovered off the coast of Nanaimo after he was presumed to have drowned for nearly a month.
On Friday , Mar. 25 KimSAR was called to Moyie Lake, after two people attempted to rescue a dog who had run out onto the ice and fell in themselves. Of the two men, one was able to climb to shore before the Kimberley RCMP arrived, but the other was pulled to shore by the RCMP and Canal Flats Tire Department and later pronounced dead.
An elderly man was found dead after his vehicle plunged into Lake Okanagan. He was heading south on Hwy. 97 when the vehicle struck a concrete divider with its right bumper and veered into the lake. Police say 2 witnesses tried to save the man by breaking the driver's side window but were unsuccessful.
A man has apparently died after capsizing his kayak. Calls to 911 came in shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Monday, March 21, after a kayak was seen floating in the water around 200 yards south of Battersea Rd., midway between the Departure Bay beach and ferry terminal.Physicians at the hospital pronounced the man deceased. O’Brien said no identity is being released at this time, while cause of death or the circumstances around it are still being investigated.
Emergency services were called to remove a patient on a vessel following an incident while scuba diving. Sadly, the patient was deceased when the vessel made it to the dock.
"A scuba diver in Alouette lake suffered a fatal heart attack on Sunday. Maple Ridge Fire and Rescue were called to South Beach in Golden Ears Provincial Park at approximately 11 a.m., for a call that came in as a drowning incident. A group was scuba diving off the shore at the beach, using diving equipment, when a middle-aged man suffered medical distress, explained Chief Michael Van Dop. The victim had been carried out of the water, but was suffering cardiac arrest when emergency responders arrived."
78% Male
22 % Female
Age 20 - 34
Age 50 - 64
Age 65 +
* Death Rate per 100,000 / Year
Lake / Pond
River
Ocean
Other
Bathtub
Pool
Drowning in a Lifeguard supervised setting
OF DROWNINGS OCCURRED FROM
May
To
Sept
Aquatic
Boating
Non-Aquatic
Powerboat
Canoe
Inflatable Craft
High Risk Groups:
The Lifesaving Society conducts research into fatal and non-fatal drowning, aquatic injury, and rescue interventions. The Lifesaving Society focuses WaterSmart drowning prevention efforts on people most at risk – like men fishing in small boats - or on those who can make a significant difference, such as parents of young children. Ongoing research and analysis support the Society’s evidence-based water rescue training and WaterSmart drowning prevention education.
112-3989 Henning Drive
Burnaby, BC
V5C 6N5
T: 604.299.5450
General inquiries: info@lifesaving.bc.ca
Awards inquiries: awards@lifesaving.bc.ca
112-3989 Henning Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia V5C 6N5
Branch Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30
T: 604.299.5450
General inquiries: info@lifesaving.bc.ca
Awards inquiries: awards@lifesaving.bc.ca
© Lifesaving Society BC / Yukon