Lifesaving Society of BC urges caution after drowning death in Vancouver

With summer around the corner and a recent tragedy at Wreck Beach, the Lifesaving Society of BC is urging people to keep safety in mind when going out on the water.

Last week, a search of Vancouver’s Wreck Beach and surrounding areas started when a man was spotted in distress in the water before he disappeared. The search was called off when Vancouver police announced that a body was found on Third Beach, several kilometres away on the western edge of Stanley Park.

On Monday, the victim of the Wreck Beach drowning was identified as a 26-year-old international student who arrived in Canada last year.

Kimiko Hirakida, director of programs and services with the Lifesaving Society of BC, says with the weather looking nicer every day and more opportunities to enjoy the water, safety needs to remain top of mind.

If you’re planning to swim, Hirakada advises assessing your skills and any potential hazards in the area, including steep dropoffs or currents. And if you don’t know how to swim, she says it’s never too late to learn.

“We are so lucky in Canada to have so many beautiful opportunities to enjoy the open water that it’s important to learn how to swim and survive in that open water. It is a life skill. It could save your life. So starting at any swimming lesson opportunity, that’s where I would guide anybody to go,” said Hirakada.

Hirakada says recent immigrants drowning is a disturbing trend, especially when the person didn’t grow up in an area that prioritized water-safe education. She says the Lifesaving Society is a proponent of an initiative called ‘swim to survive.’

“We’re working on removing barriers for newcomers to Canada in this way. So, some pools, facilities and cities may offer these courses for free for newcomers to Canada… We also have several resources in many different languages at the Lifesaving Society — I believe we have 13 languages on file that we could provide information on. So I encourage you, if you work in a city or you see a rec centre, encourage them to include resources in other languages, because our new-to-Canadian swimmers are at a disadvantage,” said Hirakada.

Whether a newcomer or not, she says anyone can become a victim to the dangers of open water.

“Just because we are competent swimmers in a pool, where there may be lane lines or lane markers or a bottom that you can touch, it is not the same… It’s really, really important to recognize the area that you’re swimming in, see that there are potential dangers with any open water, and to plan accordingly.”

If you see someone struggling in the water, Hirakada says the safest option is not always rushing into the water yourself.

“Remember that one victim can often become two or three victims. It is important to stay on the edge and call for help from a safe point, use something to throw to reach, or encourage the person to kick their legs and grab onto something. Please, please, try to avoid entering that water as well.”

A report by the Lifesaving Society of BC shows nearly 75 per cent of drowning deaths in the province between 2010 and 2019 took place in natural bodies of water.

—With files from Srushti Gangdev and Amy Beeman