(UPDATE: June 23 @ 8:45 am) - The West Kelowna RCMP has confirmed that a kayaker drowned in Okanagan Lake on Friday evening.
Police were called to the scene at Westbank First Nation Beach shortly after 7 pm Friday for a report that two kayakers had capsized "after encountering sudden wind conditions.
"Both individuals attempted to swim to shore; however, one kayaker went under the water and did not resurface," explained an RCMP release.
Officers responded immediately, boarding a nearby civilian boat to begin the search while RCMP, Peachland Fire Rescue and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue boats were mobilized.
While one kayaker was quickly accounted for, the search for the young man who did not resurface lasted around three hours before his body was found.
Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say he's a United States citizen and efforts to notify his next of kin are ongoing.
“This is a tragic reminder of how quickly conditions can change on Okanagan Lake,” explained Cst. Ash Puri of the West Kelowna RCMP.
“Wearing a life jacket can make the difference between life and death. We urge all boaters and paddlers to take that simple step every time they’re on the water.”
According to police, neither kayaker was wearing a personal flotation device at the time of the incident.
(Original story: June 20 @ 5:30 pm) - Central Okanagan Search and Rescue joined the West Kelowna RCMP on the water in a search for a young man on Friday night.
The search happened just off the shore at Westbank First Nation Beach on Boucherie Road at Carrall Road.
According to a COSAR debrief, Mounties were called to the scene around 8 pm for reports of an overturned kayak.
The assistance of search and rescue crews was requested a short time later, but the debrief says members “were stood down” around 10:30 pm.
COSAR said more details would be coming from West Kelowna RCMP, but police did not speak to the incident on Saturday.
Pete Gard was out walking his dog in the area when the search was taking place and said there were around 10 police cars and four ambulances in addition to three rescue boats on the water.
He said a first responder at the scene told him the victim was presumed to have drowned, while others claiming to know the young man commented on Gard’s post expressing their condolences.
However, at this point, there has been no official word from police on the fate of the kayaker and he has not been publicly identified.
KelownaNow has reached out to the West Kelowna RCMP and will update this story as more information becomes available.
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