Boat captain honoured for heroic rescue of Nanaimo father and son

Menezes was given the silver medal for merit, with the Lifesaving Society saying his “boat operation experience and the fact that his tour group was in the area at the right time prevented a much more serious result.”

On April 16, 2022, Menezes had just left the Nanaimo Harbour for a mid-day whale-watching trip, when people on board spotted a canoe flip over near Dodd Narrows, a tight corridor with a strong current between Mudge Island and Vancouver Island by the Cable Bay Trail.

Two men wearing life jackets were thrown into the water, and Menezes was able to manoeuvre his boat into a position to help.

Once the two men had floated into open water, Menezes was able to get close enough to toss them a life ring and pull them both on board. He was also able to recover the canoe and belongings floating in the water.

Passengers offered the two men dry clothing and a warm mug of tea.

The Kula (yellow) helps bring the two capsized canoers onboard while their second boat, the Cascadia, arrives on scene on stand-by in case more assistance was needed on April 16, 2022. (submitted photo/Brooke Nowak)

Menezes found out he’d be receiving this award in February, and said it was the NanaimoNewsNOW article about the rescue which brought his name to the attention of the Lifesaving Society.

“I do think that it’s your fault because I think they learned about the incident from the article that you wrote at that time. They just sent me an email mentioning that, and we went from there.”

Menezes was unable to make it to the April 1 ceremony in Burnaby due to prior work engagements. (Kaelan D’Sena, Lifesaving Society)

While disappointed he couldn’t attend Saturday, he’s incredibly pleased and honoured by the recognition.

“Super excited. It’s nice to be recognized when you do the right thing and a good thing.”

He told NanaimoNewsNOW he spoke with the two men a few times directly after the incident to make sure they were ok, but they haven’t been in contact since.

The humble Menezes said he has been recognized in public a few times.

“It was pretty funny actually to experience that. Lots of people, especially people in the marine world, they would recognize me and tell me that I’m a local hero, this kind of stuff. I’m also like a really shy person, so I feel a little bit awkward with all of this.”

Menezes’ silver medal for merit will be sent to him through the mail.

Each year the not-for-profit Lifesaving Society honours the heroism and bravery of aquatic rescuers in B.C. and Yukon and has been educating the public and training lifesavers and lifeguards in B.C. since 1911.

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On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow

by Jordan Davidson

Boat captain honoured for heroic rescue of Nanaimo father and son

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