67-year-old man drowns in B.C. lake during Canada's largest open water swim

A drowning tragedy occurred this past weekend when a 67-year-old man died during a popular B.C. swimming event.

At approximately 10:26 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, BC Ambulance Service reported a drowning at Tugboat Beach to police.

According to West Kelowna RCMP, which was also notified of the incident on Okanagan Lake, the victim was a participant in the Swim Across the Lake event.

“Kelowna RCMP investigation has determined that a 67-year-old male was a participant in the Swim Across the Lake event and had begun his swim from West Kelowna at 7:50 a.m., intending to complete the event course at Hot Sands Beach in Kelowna,” said a release by authorities.

“At approximately 9:50 a.m., the male swimmer was found unresponsive in the water by another vigilant participant and pulled the man to shore with the assistance of a supporting paddle boarder.”

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BC Ambulance Service attempted to resuscitate the man upon arrival at Tugboat Beach, but all life-saving efforts were unsuccessful.

West Kelowna RCMP also added that the B.C. drowning victim was identified by his Across the Lake Swim numbered/chipped wristband.

“This is an incredibly tragic reminder of just how fast environmental conditions can turn recreational activities into an emergency situation,” said Cst. Ginny Folster, media relations officer for the West Kelowna RCMP, in a statement.

“We extend our most sincere condolences to the man’s family and friends during this extremely difficult time.”

Across the Lake Swim bills itself as “the largest and longest running open water swim event in Canada,” with over 1,000 swimmers expected during the Kelowna stop.

Participants could choose from a 2.1 km crossing or a 1.5 km distance during the annual event on Okanagan Lake.

In a public Facebook post, a Kelowna resident shared that Saturday’s Across the Lake Swim was “the first time that I ever felt any sort of fear in the water.”

“The wind, waves and current picked up. As hard as I tried to swim towards the finish line, the current and wind took me way off course. I gave it everything I had, but eventually I had to get pulled out by a boat and taken to shore,” said the swimmer. “To the credit of the race organizers, they made an announcement asking all support paddlers to go back out on the lake to help people.

“I swam against the current for over an hour and could not make any ground. I couldn’t even get to shore… I have never been pulled out of any body of water in my entire life. It was very unnerving.”

The victim’s family has been notified, and the BC Coroners Service is conducting an investigation into the incident.

A drowning at another busy B.C. lake in early July prompted police to issue another reminder to be mindful of safety on the water.

Mission RCMP states that on July 9, first responders were called to Hayward Lake around 6 p.m.

“The 58-year-old man from Mission had been out paddleboarding in the area of the dog beach when he is believed to have lost his balance and fell into the water,” said the detachment in a release.

“He was not wearing a personal flotation device and reportedly had limited swimming abilities.”