When Alex Clyde heard a man yelling in the waters off Davis Bay Sunday evening, he didn’t hesitate.
Clyde said it was some time around 7 p.m., when he and other family members heard someone calling out from the ocean, who sounded very much in distress.
“So, I launched a kayak and went out there,” said Clyde. “And it was basically this guy having some sort of mental breakdown or was potentially high on something, because he wouldn’t take any assistance or anything. He was just out there treading water. He just was having none of getting rescued. This guy kept swearing at me and telling me to go away.”
Clyde said his cousin joined him in another kayak about 30 minutes later, while someone on a paddle board also made their way over. He said they had already called 911, but were told it would be about an hour before any search and rescue or RCMP vessel could get to them.
“So, obviously we just stayed with him until we were able to get another boat out there to try and rescue the guy,” said Clyde, who added the man was actually closer to White Islets than Davis Bay and very difficult to see. “I was worried the guy was going to drown, so I thought I'd stay with him, even though he didn't want to accept any help. At least it'd be easier for people to find him if I was there, because he was very hard to spot out in the ocean, it was just a head, bobbing up and down.”
He said the man had nothing to hold on to, so instead was treading water in the cold ocean for over an hour until a civilian boat showed up and they managed to drag him on board. Clyde notes the man was still combative as he was dragged onto the boat,
“He started trying to fight everybody on board and they had to hold him down and tie him up,” said Clyde.
He notes, a Zodiac boat also showed up and after the man was rescued and the people in that boat stayed with the kayakers to make sure they got back to shore.
Clyde adds he’s concerned about the length of time it was going to take for any rescue boats to reach the man and would like to see a more centralized emergency service.
“It's such a busy area there, that maybe they should have a boat station closer by for stuff like that. An hour away for somebody drowning is kind of crazy.”
Late this afternoon, the Sunshine Coast RCMP confirmed they responded to a report of a man experiencing a mental health crisis at 6:56 p.m., June 8.
According to a press release, the man walked into the ocean near the 4600 block of the Sunshine Coast Highway.
“Witnesses reported the man yelling and treading water as he moved further from shore,” the release said. “Police quickly activated Search and Rescue, notified the Coast Guard who issued a mayday call and reached out to the community for assistance.”
The release notes, officers deployed the Sunshine Coast RCMP police boat to aid in the response, while community members stepped in to help, one launching a kayak to monitor the man and another offering his power boat to transport police to the man while the RCMP boat was enroute.
After nearly 50 minutes in the water, the man was located near White Islets. Initially cooperative, he later became combative and tried to re-enter the water.
Officers from the police boat and the assisting kayaker helped safely restrain and remove the man from the good Samaritan's vessel.
RCMP say the man was brought back to shore, transferred to BC Emergency Health Services, and taken to hospital for observation.
“Without the quick action of civilians and police endangering their own safety for someone in distress, the results could have been tragic,” the RCMP said in the release. “The Sunshine Coast RCMP are grateful to all those who stepped up without hesitation to help.”
