Lake Cowichan RCMP were called Monday night to the Marie Canyon area, where they learned the man had been descending the river with friends and had not made it out before the canyon rapids as he had planned.
RCMP are investigating after a 56-year-old Vancouver man drowned while tubing on the Cowichan River Monday night.
Lake Cowichan RCMP were called to the Marie Canyon area around 6:30 p.m., where they learned the man had been rafting the river with friends and had not made it out before the Marie Canyon rapids as he had planned.
His friends lost sight of him and found him again 500 meters down the river in a distressed state. Despite first aid from BC EMS paramedics and the Lake Cowichan Fire Department, the man died at the scene.
Police have not released the man’s name.
In a statement, BC RCMP noted that the popular tubing and swimming spot is dangerous even for good swimmers.
“While important, swimming skills alone are not always enough to save a life,” said Sgt. Chris Manso. “Many drowning incidents involve other factors that swimming skills alone cannot prepare an individual for.”
It’s a sentiment supported by the Lake Cowichan Fire Department, which has responded to four river calls this year. In one of these incidents, crews had to rescue seven people from the water after the group underestimated the time it would take to reach Skutz Falls.
Lake Cowichan Fire Chief Doug Knott said he does not recommend anyone go tubing below Little Beach off Greendale Road.
After Little Beach, the river becomes much more treacherous, Knott said. “It’s starting to flow stronger and faster, with a lot of debris in the river like hanging trees and branches that are dangerous.”
Little Beach is about 1.4 miles from the mouth of Lake Cowichan by road. In contrast, Marie Canyon is about 17 kilometers away.
Knott said the area around Marie Canyon is extremely rugged terrain, noting that Monday’s recovery operation required a one-kilometer walk through rocky terrain and took a total of 3 1/2 hours.
“We have very limited access to the river — we can’t get to them in an emergency and there’s no cell service,” he said. “Even our radios are not working properly. Even a satellite phone would not work properly in Marie Canyon.
“It’s a whole different world in there,” he added. “The only proper exit from the river is Little Beach on Greendale Road.”
ngrossman@timescolonist.com
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