Woman passes away following paddleboarding incident on Okanagan Lake

An Okanagan family is dealing with tragedy following a trip to Bear Creek this weekend.

According to a GoFundMe created by Alisa Dafoe and Cathy Corbett, Christine Sebesta was paddle boarding on Okanagan Lake on Friday when she started to "not feel right." An hour after venturing offshore, the woman fell into the water and emerged unconscious.

"Christine loved being in the water and recently had taken up paddle boarding," wrote the GoFundMe. "On September 4th her and two friends ventured out in search of the sun and calm waters of Okanagan Lake, that Christine so cherished."

"About an hour into their paddle Christine had fallen off her board, which normally would have been ok for her, but something was wrong. She expressed that she did not feel right, Christine proceeded to flip and attempt to remount her board just like she had done a hundred times in the past, however, this time she slipped down under the water and emerged unconscious."

Emergency services were contacted immediately and Sebesta's friends were able to get her onto a boat for CPR. Apparently, rocky terrain and log booms prevented Sebesta from being transferred to the ambulance for 45 minutes.

"After well over 45 min of first aid and attempts at resuscitation on the boat, there was nothing more that could be done. As Ian and friends looked on, paramedics pronounced Christine as 'passed' at the scene."

Sebesta leaves behind her husband Ian Sebesta and two special needs teenagers who were her "pride and joy." One is a 17-year-old Special Olympics swimming hopeful while the other is a West Kelowna Male Ambassador.

The GoFundMe was launched to support the family's expenses during this time. So far, $13,785 has been raised towards the $50,000 goal.

For more on what happened and the GoFundMe, click here.