Volunteer divers, who came to the Sunshine Coast from Idaho, have brought a three-year search to a sad end.
The body of 26-year-old Thomas Hines was recovered from Waugh Lake in Egmont, B.C. on April 6.
Hines, originally from Nova Scotia, had recently moved to the Coast from the Maritimes and was known for travelling far and wide. An obituary published in October of 2019 lists the many places he lived. Born in Yellowknife, Hines grew up in Sackville, New Brunswick, and graduated from Tantramar Regional High School and Dalhousie University (Halifax). His travels took him through 1,600 kilometres of the Appalachian Trail, to Australia, Banff and then the Sunshine Coast, where he was working at a camping resort in Egmont.
He was reported missing on June 18, 2019, after failing to return home after a canoe trip on Waugh Lake. His canoe was found, but without any sign of Hines.
Search and rescue teams from the Coast and Squamish combed the area around the lake, the RCMP did an aerial search, and the dive team searched the depths of the lake itself.
The search was called off in late June that year.
When Hines was still not found, Mike Clement of SAVI Marine, a local underwater acoustic and video imaging business owner, suggested getting in touch with underwater search and recovery specialists Gene and Sandy Ralston – volunteers known for donating their time and expertise to such searches.
When COVID-19 border restrictions loosened in April, the Ralstons drove up with their sonar-equipped boat from Boise, Idaho, to the Coast.
“The Ralstons, who are both in their 70s, are methodical and painstaking in their search for bodies,” said the RCMP news release. Constable Cole Vander Helm, who had reached out to the Ralstons, briefed the couple and the renewed search got underway on April 4. They craned the boat into the water and towed the sonar equipment in overlapping strips through the water.
Within 90 minutes, using their trademark methodical and painstaking search strategy, the Ralstons saw something on their sonar they believed could be Hines, said the release. After their submersible remote-operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) confirmed it was a human body, the RCMP Underwater Dive and Recovery Team (URT) brought Hines to the surface on April 6.
Dental records confirmed it was Hines, said the release. He is believed to have drowned while canoeing.
A man of many interests, Hines composed electronic music and could play a number of instruments. He enjoyed hiking, snowboarding, scuba diving, reading non-fiction and learning. He was also generous, his obituary states, donating to Oxfam on a monthly basis and organizing a fundraiser for his 26th birthday. A memorial service was held for Hines on October 19, 2019.
"I am relieved that with the help of the Ralstons, we were able to bring some peace and closure to Tom's family and friends" said Cst. Vander Helm in the release. "Tom's parents were very thankful for everyone who assisted in locating their son.”
Correction: The RCMP has since clarified that Hines was from Nova Scotia, not PEI, and his identity was confirmed through dental records rather than DNA.
