Pair on floaties rescued after pushed across Nanaimo’s Departure Bay

He said it appeared the pair were unexpectedly pushed by heavy winds from the Departure Bay Beach area across the bay towards the ferry terminal.

Berg noted they weren’t equipped with any form of life preserver.

“Crews were able to pick them up and bring them aboard so they didn’t drift any further, then we brought them back to shore so they were safe. There weren’t any injuries or other issues, it’s just the potential for something to go wrong was quite serious,” Berg told NanaimoNewsNOW.

He didn’t know if impairment played a role.

Berg said an on-shore Good Samaritan played an integral role, sensing the two subjects were in trouble.

“If you’re out of sight to people, or people don’t think to do that, to call *16 to get connected to Coast Guard. They might be on their own with very few resources.”

Berg said the women were at risk of being capsized in the open ocean, far away from help.

He said being in the path of ferry lanes also presented a danger.

Understanding risks and being prepared in advance of recreating on the water need to be top considerations in any marine environment, particularly the ocean, Berg emphasized.

“It’s really, really important that people think about these things. The ocean is not the same as a lake —the waves, the wind, the currents can be very unpredictable.”

Berg said the circumstances surrounding this incident are similar to a drowning last month.

“That’s almost exactly where this happened, where this other lady died. We’re hoping this kind of thing isn’t a pattern.”

Marine emergencies can be reported by dialling *16 (if possible) or using VHF channel 16 in order to reach the Canadian Coast Guard.

911 services will also direct you to the appropriate resources if you’re in an emergency.

Local news. Delivered. Free. Subscribe to our daily news wrap and get our top local stories delivered to your email inbox every evening.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook

by Ian Holmes

Pair on floaties rescued after pushed across Nanaimo’s Departure Bay

More Local News