WATCH: A woman found out the hard way today just how dangerous being out on the water can be during a rainstorm. Jeremy Hunka reports.
Rescue crews came to the aid of a woman who overturned her canoe in the Seymour River Sunday morning.
The woman’s canoe flipped over and she floated downstream. She was canoeing with two other people, including her husband, who immediately began searching but couldn’t find her.
Asst. Chief Jim Bonneville of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue says the woman floated in the river for approximately 30 minutes before making it to shore, where she was met by rescue crews.
“She was very experienced, knew what she was doing, and very lucky,” says Bonneville.
“Apparently they did everything right,” he adds. “I’m not sure how her canoe was tipped over. She was in her defensive swim and managed to get herself to shore. It was quite a ways down from where she tipped herself.”
Bonneville says heavy rains have led to higher-than-normal water levels.
“It could be quite dangerous,” says Bonneville. “The water was very, very high. People would need to exercise extreme caution. The water was so high, you’ve got overhanging trees in locations, and if you don’t know how to deal with that it could be very dangerous.”
Husband Phil Bates says he is happy the ordeal is over.
“When you don’t see your wife for five minutes, it’s a little scary,” he says.
-with files from Jeremy Hunka
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