The Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Oak Bay station rescued a man in the ocean off Oak Bay on Saturday morning.
At 3:50 a.m., the rescue crew received an urgent call for a “person in water” (PIW), reporting someone calling for help about 300 feet off Gyro Park Beach.
A 36-year-old man, who had spent approximately 15 minutes in the dark, cold 9°C water following a piloting mishap, was located.
Boaters on a nearby vessel were able to hear his cries for help and pull him aboard his sailboat as rescue crews arrived.
The man was cold, wet and suffering from a dislocated shoulder, and was transferred to paramedics at 5:05 a.m. for further care.
This incident serves as a reminder to the boating community that accidents happen quickly, especially in low-visibility conditions, and to take extra caution when out on the water at night.
