Drowning Board & Map

• Date: 19-Sep-2023
• City: North Saanich
• Water Location: Coles Bay
• Gender: Male
• Age: 40
• Province: British Columbia

"A man is dead after he drowned while trying to swim to his drifting boat in the Saanich Inlet on Monday evening. The man, who police say was in his 40s, was brought to shore and carried to an ambulance where paramedics and firefighters performed first aid. Despite their efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Investigators say the man was trying to retrieve his boat, which had drifted away from the boat launch, when he became fatigued in the cold water."

• Date: 16-Sep-2023
• City: Invermere
• Water Location: Windermere Lake
• Gender: Male
• Age: 26
• Province: British Columbia

At about 3 pm on Sept. 16, emergency crews responded to a report of a 26-year-old man who was swimming in Lake Windermere. The man was seen in distress while swimming and went under and did not resurface, a release says. On Tuesday, police said he was presumed to have drowned and his body has since been located and recovered. Omairi's death is not considered suspicious and the BC Coroner Service is conducting its own investigation.

• Date: 30-Aug-2023
• City: Squamish
• Water Location: Furry Creek
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

"A male snorkeller drowned in shallow water between the mouth of Furry Creek and Oliver’s Landing on Wednesday afternoon. According to Squamish RCMP spokesperson Staff Sgt. Gareth Bradley, emergency services were called to the area at around 1 p.m. with a report of a sudden death. Bradley said the B.C. Ambulance Service and a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft were dispatched. Upon arrival, crews found two people, one of whom was deceased. He said the pair had been free-diving in about 10 feet of water when of them failed to surface.

• Date: 23-Aug-2023
• City: Maple Ridge
• Water Location: Golden Ears Provincial Park
• Gender: Unknown
• Age: 13
• Province: British Columbia

"A teenager died after they were pulled from the water in Golden Ears Provincial Park on Tuesday. Maple Ridge firefighters responded to a call for a water rescue involving a 13-year-old in the North Beach area of the park at about 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 22. An Advance Life Support unit responded to the incident, said Spriggs, whom his team worked with under ambulance direction to provide care to the patient. “But it was not successful,” he said. BC Emergency Health Services confirmed they received a call at 3:43 p.m. for the incident in the vicinity of North Beach and immediately dispatched two ambulances, and one air ambulance. The first ambulance arrived on scene at 4:10 p.m. where they cared for one patient but did not transport anyone to hospital."

• Date: 14-Aug-2023
• City: Tofino
• Water Location: Long Beach
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

"An RCMP spokesperson confirmed to the Westerly News that an adult male died in a “possible drowning” within the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Aug. 9. The incident was reported to the Tofino RCMP around 3:30 p.m. Police arrived at a south beach access parking lot and located the man, who was receiving CPR from Emergency Health Services and Parks Canada personnel. “He was found in the water, unresponsive and pulled from the water by family,” according to the spokesperson. The BC Coroners Service is currently investigating the incident.

• Date: 13-Aug-2023
• City: Victoria
• Water Location: Thetis Lake
• Gender: Female
• Age: 49
• Province: British Columbia

Police tell CHEK News that West Shore officers were called to the Upper Thetis Lake area around 1:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, for a report of a woman underwater. According to police, the woman, 49, drowned. Around 4 p.m. Sunday, RCMP said the woman’s body had not been recovered, and an RCMP dive team was assisting in locating her. “Due to the nature of the investigation, and in consultation with the Capital Regional District (CRD), Prior Lake and the nearby Mackenzie Creek Trail have been temporarily closed…” said RCMP just before 6 p.m. Saturday, noting officers responded earlier in the day.

• Date: 01-Aug-2023
• City: Surrey
• Water Location: Crescent Beach
• Gender: Unknown
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

In a statement Tuesday, the Crescent Beach Life Guarding Corporation (CBLG) said the body turned up on the shoreline south of the guarded swimming area sometime before 5 p.m.“Strong tides had washed over the nearby sandbars that afternoon and the body was found on the sliver of sand that remained at high tide in an area nearly a kilometre away from the two sections patrolled by lifeguards,” the organization said.

• Date: 25-Jul-2023
• City: West Vancouver
• Water Location: Dundarave Beach
• Gender: Male
• Age: 85
• Province: British Columbia

"A swimmer is missing and presumed drowned after an incident in West Vancouver, Monday. Numerous agencies, including the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, were called to the area off Dundarave Beach just before 5 p.m. Monday, after a report came in of a missing swimmer, according to West Vancouver police. The 85-year-old man, who was visiting from Ontario, was seen offshore, calling for help before disappearing. “We all hoped for a better outcome and share in the grief the affected family is going through,” said Sgt. Mark McLean. “The victim is presumed to have drowned and the WVPD are providing support to his family and friends.”

• Date: 25-Jul-2023
• City: Vernon
• Water Location: Kalamalka Lake
• Gender: Male
• Age: 26
• Province: British Columbia

Searches are underway on Okanagan Lake and Kalamalka Lake for the individuals who went missing in separate boating incidents overnight. A missing kayaker is being sought on Kalamalka Lake, after a group of kayakers alerted police around 11 p.m. Monday. A storm blew in creating rough conditions for the group, which was able to land on the west side of the lake. One of the men in the group left in an attempt to paddle back across the lake to Kalamalka Beach. The man was not seen again and his kayak has since been recovered. Vernon Search and Rescue responded and conducted an initial search for the man who was not found. UPDATE 2023-08-16 Buraca had been missing since July 24, when he went kayaking with friends on Kalamalka Lake but got separated from the group during a sudden storm.

• Date: 25-Jul-2023
• City: Vernon
• Water Location: Okanagan Lake
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

RCMP received a report that one person was missing after a commercial fishing vessel had capsized on Okanagan Lake near Ellison Provincial Park. The boat was engaged in fishing activities and towing a smaller vessel when it encountered high waves and strong winds brought on by an overnight storm, causing the vessel to overturn. An initial search of the area was conducted by search crews as well as an RCMP police boat, unfortunately the man was not located.

• Date: 25-Jul-2023
• City: Salmo
• Water Location: Salmo River
• Gender: Male
• Age: 43
• Province: British Columbia

A man was found dead in a river in Salmo, B.C. Monday, as the popular Shambhala Music Festival was wrapping up after the weekend, according to Mounties. The body was found by a pair of divers hired by the festival to recover garbage from the river, police said. “At this time, the man appeared to have drowned, with no foul play suspected,” Cpl. James Grandy with B.C. RCMP wrote. He has been identified as a 43-year-old from Calgary, Alta., but his name has not been released.

• Date: 22-Jul-2023
• City: Chilliwack
• Water Location: Vedder River
• Gender: Male
• Age: 55
• Province: British Columbia

"The Chilliwack RCMP is confirming a 55-year-old man died Friday after a possible drowning at the Vedder River, near Peach Park. Staff Sgt. Layne Penner says while details are still yet to be confirmed, the incident happened around 3:30 p.m. How the man ended up in the river is still unclear, he says. “He was possibly fishing, and possibly attempted to rescue his dog, that fell into the river,” Penner told CityNews. Penner notes the BC Coroners Service has taken over the investigation and will determine the man’s exact cause of death."

• Date: 20-Jul-2023
• City: Chilliwack
• Water Location: Cultus Lake
• Gender: Male
• Age: 21
• Province: British Columbia

A 21-year-old man who jumped into Cultus Lake Wednesday to try to save someone he thought was drowning never resurfaced, according to authorities. “Witnesses advised that a man in his early 20s entered the water in an attempt to rescue his friend whom he believed to be drowning, but he himself did not know how to swim,” spokesperson Sgt. Krysta Vrolyk said in an email to CTV News. A search by the RCMP’s underwater recovery team is ongoing.

• Date: 19-Jul-2023
• City: Revelstoke
• Water Location: Akolkolex Falls
• Gender: Female
• Age: 15
• Province: British Columbia

Police say the 15-year-old lost her footing on some slippery rocks on Sunday evening, around 6 p.m., and fell into Akolkolex Falls. The girl’s step-father dove into the falls to rescue her. However, witnesses told police they didn’t see either resurface. “With the help of a search-and-rescue helicopter, the step-father was located and transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries,” said Revelstoke RCMP. “Tragically, on (Monday), July 17, the female was located deceased by RCMP and search and rescue personnel,” said Cpl. James Grandy. Police say the BC Coroners Service has taken conduct of the investigation.

• Date: 04-Jul-2023
• City: Chilliwack
• Water Location: Chilliwack
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

A man drowned in the Chehalis River during the Canada Day weekend. According to a release from the Agassiz RCMP, police and the B.C. Ambulance Service responded to an unconscious man who was pulled from the river onto a sandbar in the middle of the river. Despite the best efforts of bystanders and paramedics, the man could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead on the scene. Kent-Harrison Search and Rescue volunteers brought everyone involved safely to shore. Agassiz RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Mike Sargent said the man appeared to be trying to cross the river and got caught in the current.

• Date: 30-Jun-2023
• City: Victoria
• Water Location: Salish Sea
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

One person is confirmed dead after a 40-foot yacht sank Friday in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, approximately three kilometres south of Victoria. BC Coroners Service confirmed Wednesday in a statement to Black Press Media it is investigating one death resulting from the sinking.A Port Angeles, Wash., crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest responded to the incident at approximately 7 p.m. Friday night and rescued two teenage females and one adult woman in the Salish Sea from a dinghy associated with the yacht.

• Date: 19-Jun-2023
• City: Kamloops
• Water Location: Stump Lake
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

The bodies of the two fishermen that went missing at Stump Lake earlier this month have been found. The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team located the bodies of the missing fishermen and their boat on Thursday. The two fishermen from the Lower Mainland went missing on June 19, after they went fishing on Stump Lake in a small aluminum boat. When they didn’t return after dark, friends began to search for them, however, due to unsuccessful efforts, they contacted police the next day. On June 21, debris belonging to the missing fisherman was found floating near the North end of the lake, however, both fishermen and their boat were not located until 10 days after they went missing.

• Date: 19-Jun-2023
• City: Kamloops
• Water Location: Stump Lake
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

The bodies of the two fishermen that went missing at Stump Lake earlier this month have been found. The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team located the bodies of the missing fishermen and their boat on Thursday. The two fishermen from the Lower Mainland went missing on June 19, after they went fishing on Stump Lake in a small aluminum boat. When they didn’t return after dark, friends began to search for them, however, due to unsuccessful efforts, they contacted police the next day. On June 21, debris belonging to the missing fisherman was found floating near the North end of the lake, however, both fishermen and their boat were not located until 10 days after they went missing.

• Date: 16-Jun-2023
• City: Field
• Water Location: Takakkaw Falls
• Gender: Unknown
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

One person has died after they fell into the water at the base of Takakkaw Falls, a popular tourist spot in Yoho National Park in B.C. Parks Canada said in a statement that its visitor safety specialists responded to the falls at about 1:30 p.m. Friday. With the help of Alpine Helicopters, they did an aerial search. Parks Canada says its visitor safety specialists found a body in the pool at the bottom of the falls later that evening. They were able to recover the body on Saturday in what they say were challenging conditions.

• Date: 14-Jun-2023
• City: Kelowna
• Water Location: Mission Creek
• Gender: Female
• Age: 31
• Province: British Columbia

Chelsea Cardno, 31, was last seen taking her German Shepherd for a walk on the Mission Greenway on June 14, near the banks of the Mission Creek. At the time, the city was under a state of emergency due to dangerously high water levels and flooding. The creek had overflowed its banks, flooding numerous roads, yards and basements. Cardno's family, police, search and rescue crews and hundreds of volunteers scoured the area after she went missing, but the swollen river banks of the flooding creek were too unstable for them to get close safely. Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) conducted ground, water, and air searches for Cardno, and told CBC News they began "re-searching" the area Wednesday afternoon after the creek level dropped, using drones, ground searchers, and a boat at the mouth of the creek. A farmer who owns the land discovered her body around 5 p.m. on Friday, near the 3600 block of Berard Road, which is beside the Mission Creek.

• Date: 09-Jun-2023
• City: Kelowna
• Water Location: Okanagan Lake
• Gender: Female
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

The body of Laticia Watson and her vehicle are being recovered on Tuesday, June 27. On Friday, June 9 around 9:15 p.m., a vehicle crashed in the Trader’s Cove area on Westside Road and rolled into Okanagan Lake. Throughout the night and into the following day, the Kelowna RCMP and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) searched the lake and were able to find the vehicle and Watson’s body. But because of challenging conditions including the depth of the water, the RCMP wasn’t able to immediately get them out of the lake.

• Date: 08-Jun-2023
• City: Nanaimo
• Water Location: Westwood Lake
• Gender: Male
• Age: 19
• Province: British Columbia

Nanaimo RCMP have confirmed a young adult man has died after drowning at Nanaimo’s Westwood Lake on Wednesday. The incident unfolded at around 8 p.m. after a young adult man experienced a medical emergency while swimming on June 7th. According to Reserve Constable Gary O’Brien, spokesperson for Nanaimo RCMP, the victim, accompanied by friends, was returning to a swim dock when he suddenly went into distress. Witnesses on the scene performed CPR on the man for an extended period of time until emergency crews arrived. Nanaimo Fire Rescue, BC Ambulance, and RCMP promptly responded to the distress call, and the resuscitation efforts proved successful. The man was then transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for further treatment, however, he succumbed to his injuries around 5 a.m. Thursday morning.

• Date: 03-Jun-2023
• City: North Vancouver
• Water Location: Rice Lake
• Gender: Male
• Age: 26
• Province: British Columbia

A 26-year-old man drowned in North Vancouver’s Rice Lake Saturday afternoon. The man was “a little ways off the beaten track,” and it took some time for crews to get to him, he said. Two firefighters went up the trail to the north side of the lake, where they spotted a group of people on a rock 100 metres away from the shore, he said. According to a witness, the man was under water for about two minutes. The first responders swam out to the rock, where the drowning victim was receiving chest compressions from a friend and a bystander who swam out to help, Derban said. A firefighter then put a floatation device on the victim and swam him back to shore. BCEHS arrived and performed CPR for about an hour, but were unable to revive the man.

• Date: 19-May-2023
• City: West Vancouver
• Water Location: Cypress Creek
• Gender: Male
• Age: 45
• Province: British Columbia

A West Vancouver resident is dead after trying to save his dog, after it fell into the waters of Cypress Creek. The man has been identified as Keen Lau, who ran for councillor in last year's municipal election. Shortly after 9 p.m. on Friday night, West Vancouver Police and West Vancouver Fire and Rescue were called to Cypress Falls Park. The man, in his 40s, and his wife were walking their dog north of the Cypress Falls Park playground area when it was swept away after entering the water, police said. In an attempt to retrieve the dog, the man was also swept away. West Vancouver Fire and Rescue worked with North Shore Rescue to locate the man into the evening, but were unsuccessful. At around 8 a.m. Saturday morning, WVFR recovered the man’s body from the creek. The dog was also found deceased.

• Date: 11-May-2023
• City: West Kelowna
• Water Location: Okanagan Lake
• Gender: Female
• Age: 68
• Province: British Columbia

A 68-year-old woman from West Kelowna died after falling into a fast-moving creek and getting swept into Okanagan Lake. According to officials, she fell into the swift waters of Powers Creek, which enters the lake at Powers Point, near the West Kelowna Yacht Club. The woman was taking pictures on a rock in Glen Canyon Regional Park when she slipped and fell into the creek, police said. Police officers and firefighters checked the creek banks and the lake shore, and a boater appeared and offered help. An officer joined the boater, with the two finding the woman unconscious in Okanagan Lake, around one kilometre from where she fell in. She was pulled from the water and was rushed to hospital in critical condition, but did not survive.

• Date: 01-May-2023
• City: Skidegate
• Water Location: Ocean
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

Two men are dead of suspected drowning after their fishing boat capsized near Haida Gwaii over the weekend. Two vessels from the coast guard station in nearby Sandspit were tasked with searching for the boat and its occupants, according to the JRCC. The bodies of the men were found by a volunteer search vessel at 1 p.m. and were recovered by the coast guard, which stood down the search. RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson said the men were found west of Haida Gwaii and the B.C. Coroners Service is investigating the deaths.

• Date: 01-May-2023
• City: Skidegate
• Water Location: Ocean
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

Two men are dead of suspected drowning after their fishing boat capsized near Haida Gwaii over the weekend. Two vessels from the coast guard station in nearby Sandspit were tasked with searching for the boat and its occupants, according to the JRCC. The bodies of the men were found by a volunteer search vessel at 1 p.m. and were recovered by the coast guard, which stood down the search. RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson said the men were found west of Haida Gwaii and the B.C. Coroners Service is investigating the deaths.

• Date: 17-Apr-2023
• City: Coldstream
• Water Location: Kalamalka Beach
• Gender: Unknown
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

Vernon RCMP has confirmed the death of the person found on Kalamalka beach Monday morning. Officers responded to a call around 9:45 a.m. where a member of the public had discovered a body at the edge of the water. The person was pulled out of the water and transported to hospital by paramedics. The unidentified person was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Investigators are working to identify them and notify next of kin

• Date: 01-Feb-2023
• City: Unknown
• Water Location: Unknown
• Gender: Unknown
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia
• Address: Unknown

Unknown at this time - Updates to come.

• Date: 23-Jan-2023
• City: Port Moody
• Water Location: Burrard Inlet
• Gender: Male
• Age: 60s
• Province: British Columbia

A man in his 60s is dead after an apparent drowning at Port Moody’s Reed Point Marina on Saturday. Cost. Sam Zacharias, of the Port Moody Police Department (PMPD), said officers responded to a sudden death call at the marina shortly after noon on Saturday (Jan. 21). He said the victim is believed to have accidentally drowned and the death is not considered to be suspicious. The BC Coroner Service attended the scene and is now leading the investigation.

• Date: 16-Jan-2023
• City: Ashcroft
• Water Location: Thompson River
• Gender: Male
• Age: Unknown
• Province: British Columbia

"Ashcroft RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service are investigating after a body was recovered from the Thompson River Monday (Jan. 16). In a brief news release, the RCMP note the body was discovered at about 9:00 a.m., about 200 metres south of the Ashcroft Bridge. Search and Rescue volunteers helped RCMP members pull it from the water. There is no word if the person’s death is considered suspicious."