A swimmer was rescued after being swept away by a river near Tofino.
Alberni Valley Rescue Squad (AVRS) received a call in the early evening of August 14th for a rescue at Wally Creek, located near Highway 4 going towards Tofino.
The subject was reportedly swimming up river and was swept downstream. Eventually she was able to pull herself up onto a pile of logs.
According to rescue services, she had only sustained minor injuries and was able to wait there for crews to reach her.
AVRS sent in multiple resources to assist, including a rope team, swift water team, ground crews and helicopters.
She was located down a 25 foot narrow ravine, so the rope team determined that the safest course of action would be to get one member situated for a high angle rope rescue.
The AVRS rope member was able to descend and secure her in a patient harness and assisted up the ravine wall, where she was handed over to health crews for assessment.
“Thank you to Arrowsmith Search and Rescue for responding to the mutual aid request, West Coast Helicopters, Airspan Helicopters, RCMP and BC EHS,” Alberni Valley Rescue Squad wrote in a Facebook post.
AVRS also took the opportunity to remind the public of the dangers of swimming in rivers, urging everyone to be aware of downstream hazards such as waterfalls, downed trees, strainers, rocks, and fast-moving water.
