This story has been updated, the most recent update can be found here.
By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
A 41-year old male Oliver resident is missing and presumed drowned after swimming off his boat on Osoyoos Lake Monday night to assist his dog.
Just before 8:30 p.m., the Osoyoos RCMP received a call that a male had gone underwater in Osoyoos Lake offshore from the White Sands beach area.
Sgt. Jason Bayda, Osoyoos RCMP commander told the Times Chronicle that the man was on his own boat with a friend and had jumped in to retrieve his dog that was out swimming.
When his boat started to drift away from him he was unable to get back to it and went under, Bayda said.
Bayda notes that the incident is more of a tragic situation rather than some nefarious activity, adding there was also no sign of alcohol on the boat.
“My understanding is that his dog was swimming and got too far from the boat, he went out to help his dog and the last he was seen was with the dog on his back.”
“He was not wearing a life jacket and it’s a large dog and very likely could have hampered his efforts to get back to the boat.” The dog, however, did manage to make its way back to the boat.
Speaking with the Times Chronicle Tuesday morning Bayda said: “He has not been located as of this time. We searched until after dark last night and will be going out again this morning to continue searching.”
When asked if there is any optimism for a positive outcome at this point Bayda said, “we’re looking at a recovery mission at this point.”
Osoyoos RCMP Commander Sgt. Jason Bayda and Osoyoos Fire Rescue Chief Corey Kortmeyer head out to conduct a sonar search on Tuesday morning. Don Urquhart photo
The search will be focused on the last spot he was seen because while many people think currents play a role, a person who drowns is typically found in the same area, Bayda said.
“That could change depending on the depth of the water and the warmth of the water over time,” he said adding that it may take a few days to recover the body.
“I’ve got a call into our dive team but our dive team members are spread out across the province so it will take a while to muster up here.”
In the meantime, Bayda along with Osoyoos Fire Rescue personnel will be conducting some side scan sonar runs which detects and images objects on the floor of the lake.
Bayda has asked the boating public to “give us some room and remain away from the police boat.” He also asked the public to keep an eye out for the man who is described as Caucasian and was last seen wearing orange swim shorts.
He also repeated advice to ensure everyone wears a lifejacket “whether you are a good swimmer or not.”
“We recognize that people swim off their boats all the time and not many wear a life jacket when they do, it’s a normal thing but things can happen so fast,” he warned.
The Times Chronicle will continue to update as this story develops.
