Photo: Flickr/RCMP

Four people were pulled from the water and taken ashore without injury after their canoe and kayak overturned Sunday on Indian Arm.

Coquitlam RCMP were alerted by the Coast Guard shortly after 1 p.m. that a sudden squall had caused the two vessels to overturn, leaving four people stranded in the water.

All four were located near the south end of Crocker Island by police. With the help of a charter vessel, they were taken ashore and provided with dry clothes and hot food at a privately owned inn.

Everyone was wearing the proper safety equipment or else the outcome could have been far more tragic, said Cpl. Justin Abels. 

Police advise paddlers to wait out a storm rather than fight against it and always check the forecast prior to heading out on the water.