A sailor with the Royal Canadian Navy is in stable condition Tuesday after going over the side or a vessel and spending more than two and a half hours in the frigid waters off Vancouver Island, triggering a massive search effort.
The naval member was returning from sentry duties near the Bentinck Island explosives training range, southwest of Victoria, when he went overboard from a rigid-hull inflatable boat in stormy seas on Monday afternoon.
There was one other crewmember aboard the boat when the man entered the water about a kilometre from land.
“The second sailor was able to very quickly reach out, call her supervisor and alert the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre” in Victoria at approximately 2:45 p.m., Rear-Admiral David Patchell, commander of Maritime Forces Pacific, told reporters during a news conference Tuesday.
The coast guard centre dispatched a Cyclone helicopter from the Victoria airport, as well as a Cormorant helicopter and a Kingfisher rescue plane from Canadian Forces Base Comox, while a United States Coast Guard helicopter joined the search effort from nearby Port Angeles, Wash.
‘A life was saved’
Multiple navy and coast guard vessels, including the frigate HMCS Regina, scoured the Strait of Juan de Fuca for the missing sailor until after dark, when rescuers in a helicopter spotted the stranded sailor in high seas and howling winds at around 5 p.m.
The sailor was recovered by a Pacific Pilotage Authority vessel that had joined the search, and he was transferred to the care of paramedics on shore.
“The sailor is in stable condition,” Patchell said. “He was obviously brought to the hospital to be checked out, but they were lucid, they were talking. In fact, when the helicopters arrived, they were waving. So that’s a good sign.”
Patchell, who was on board HMCS Regina during the search, called the man’s disappearance a “harrowing experience” and a “challenging day” for the Pacific fleet.
The sailor was wearing a drysuit and a lifejacket when he went overboard, which could have allowed him to survive in the 9 C water for up to six hours, he said.
The navy is still investigating what caused the sailor to fall overboard.
“The good news is we’re doing that investigation after we saved a life, not after having lost life,” Patchell said. “So, we’ll obviously look at the details, but it was windy, it was choppy, and it’s a reminder that life at sea is dangerous.”
Maj. Greg Clarke, the officer in charge of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria, described the weather conditions as “very, very severe” during the search.
“Visual conditions is the toughest thing,” he told the news conference, highlighting how a person in the water can be obscured by cresting waves and moving sightlines.
“Thanks to the swift co-ordination and unwavering professionalism of all agencies involved, a life was saved today,” Patchell added.
“This incident serves as a powerful reminder of the dedication and readiness of our search and rescue partners, and of the strength we demonstrate when we respond together.”
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