Group visiting Penticton from Vancouver helps rescue young man in Skaha Lake after hearing screams for help

Photo: Daniela Albuquerque

Vancouver residents Daniel Ferrer, Bruno James and Dr. Henry Reis rushed to inflate and set up a personal boat and launched into Skaha Lake on Friday night following screams for help

UPDATE: 4:11 p.m.

"The only thing that I was thinking at the moment was 'What about his mom?'"

A group of Vancouver residents visiting Penticton and staying at the Wright's Beach Resort heard cries for help coming from Skaha Lake on Friday night and didn't hesitate for a moment to help out.

Dr. Daniela Albuquerque told Castanet that her husband, Dr. Henry Reis along with his friends Daniel Ferrer and Bruno James rushed to inflate and set up a personal boat and launched into the darkness following after they heard the screams.

"We are all parents and that's what made us like 'Okay, we are jumping in. We are going into the water. It doesn't matter what's going to happen," she said.

While the husbands jumped in the water on their boat, their partners were organizing from shore, calling 911, and gathering blankets and supplies.

As Albuquerque and her husband are both doctors, she said they were concerned about how the cold water and temperatures were, causing hypothermia if the young man didn't get rescued soon enough.

After getting to the other side of the lake, Albuquerque said that the girls screaming for help told the men one of their friends had gotten swept away into the water.

"We were hearing the girls screaming, trying to find someone that would jump in the water to help the other one."

The girls pointed to where they thought he had gone and the trio proceeded in that direction. They found the victim floating and gasping for air, unable to scream any further.

James jumped into the water and managed to bring the young man to the boat and safely to shore.

Albuquerque said the rescue team arrived and pointed to where the ambulance was located.

After ensuring that there were no more victims in the water, the heroes returned to their campground.

ORIGINAL: 10:35 p.m.

A young man who got into trouble on the fast-moving Penticton channel Friday night was saved by a group of strangers.

Penticton Fire Chief Larry Watkinson said his marine rescue crews, along with police and paramedics, were called out to the end of the Penticton Channel, where it flows into Skaha Lake, at about 11 p.m.

"A number of people went in for a swim from the channel near the mouth and got sucked out into Skaha Lake and basically didn't know where they were so they called 911," Watkinson said.

A full response came out to help the group.

"Through all the commotion some people heard the noise from Wright's Beach and came out in a little boat and I say, crazy enough, found the kid and brought him to the shore," Watkinson said.

"Whoever they are, we don't know because they went back right away, were total heroes last night and jumped in their boat late at night and went looking for him."

Watkinson said their rescue watercraft arrived at the same time as the civilians reached the area.

"They could hear the chaos and just literally bumped into this person in the middle of the darkness. So the kid's lucky because he was going to be in trouble if he didn't get help right away."

The group of heroes had just a small inflatable boat with an electric motor they took out onto the lake.

"For what it's worth, we certainly don't encourage anybody to go out in the darkness and put themselves in harm's way, but these three guys that did do that certainly did a good job."

The area is covered in signs, warning those swimming and floating along the channel not to go past the bridge that flows under Highway 97 into Skaha Lake.

The channel water is moving especially fast currently from the increased outflow from Okanagan Lake. While the channel is safe to float, people are urged to be vigilant when on the water.

Watkinson reminds everyone to respect their surroundings and be careful when they go into the water.

"A lot of alcohol was involved with these people partying on the beach and disrespecting the water and got swept away on it ... Sadly, these were youth who were not using good judgment."

"It's incredibly fast-moving water right now so it's something to be mindful of for sure."