A beautiful summer night on the water took an unexpected turn when an aluminum boat capsized in Howe Sound north of Anvil Island on Thursday night.
Squamish Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue members were called out at about 4:30 p.m. to a report of a capsized vessel with boaters in the water, according to Scott Shaw-MacLaren, deputy station leader of RCMSR.
Two paddleboarders helped the capsized group by pulling two of them onto their boards before rescuers arrived, Shaw-MacLaren said.
The men had apparently been in the water a few hours before they were rescued, according to a Global News report.
One of the capsized boaters was able to swim ashore while Squamish’s Royal Canadian Marine Rescue members rescued the other two, Shaw-MacLaren added.
The boaters were then transferred to a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft, which brought them to paramedics and a doctor waiting on shore, according to Shaw-MacLaren.
From CTV News video footage of the rescue, it does not appear the men were injured.
RCMSAR Station West Vancouver, also on-scene, towed the capsized vessel back to shore.
The incident demonstrates how important it is to wear Personal Flotation Devices when out on the water, Shaw-MacLaren said. By wearing PFDs these men likely saved their own lives.
Once overboard in the chilly waters of Howe Sound, individuals have one minute to get their breathing under control and about 10 minutes before the ability to move fingers arms and legs decreases, increasing the chance of drowning unless wearing a lifejacket, according to Shaw-MacLaren.
Most boating deaths occur close to shore, when boaters are unexpectedly thrown from their vessel and aren’t wearing flotation devices, according to the Lifesaving Society of Canada.
**Please note this story has been updated since it was first posted as more information became available.
