Currently four dead one MIA. We will have to wait for the investigation to know the cause. Knowing the boat and the waters we have a couple of theories but will have to wait for some answers.
At least one person dead after tour vessel sinks off B.C. Coast
- Thread starter Locutus
- Start date
Yep, life jackets just protect you from one aspect of the dangers, but a life jacket might enhance your chances of getting back out of the water while you are still able.
Ooooooooh, two hours ago they were announcing 5 dead and one missing.
????MIA are you saying it was an act of war?
First time in your life judging by your past posts on a lot of news stories.
Just once in a while from Wally. I think those last two reds in this thread are from Blubberilko. I do not mind. If people do not tell me what the red is for, I just conbsider the reds to be decorative or ornamental and mean nothing.I see you are getting "reds" now too, Anna! Welcome to the club.
But anyways, I am sorry people lost relatives while ogling whales. Tourism makes me feel weird, though. When my family went to the far end of Baja like at Cabo San Lucas, for instance, there were lots of beach space and only maybe a couple people wandering about and the most awesome rocks and stuff sticking out of the ocean. Some adobe houses nearby and stuff like that. Now I bet you cannot find enough room on a beach to park a towel and there are massive hotels everywhere. So, IMO, tourism screwed up the entire area.
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A red from Wally is a badge of honor. Usually means you said something sensible. ;-)
Fishermen Ken Lucas and Clarence Smith think about what might have happened if they hadn’t seen a single flare in the sky near Plover Reefs, west of Vargas Island, on Sunday afternoon.
That flare came from the Leviathan II, a whale-watching boat operated by Jamie’s Whaling Station. The vessel had 27 people on board and capsized near Tofino around 4 p.m. Five people are confirmed dead and one person is still missing.
Lucas was dragging his fishing gear out of the water when he saw the flare in the sky.
“We pulled our gear in and we went running out to help,” he said.
As they were heading to the scene, the two members of the Ashouhat First Nation called for more help.
“Within minutes there were half-a-dozen boats, including ourselves,” said Lucas.
‘You could hear people screaming’
When Lucas and Smith arrived at the scene, they plucked three people out of the water right away.
“We got to the life-raft and the guys were pointing us in the direction [saying] ‘there’s people in the water over there’,” said Smith.
“We went to get three people in the water. One guy was clinging to the hull of the Leviathan so we picked him first. And then I heard voices a little ways away, there was two ladies, one hanging on to each other. One of them had a lifejacket, and the other one, I’m not sure if she did or not.”
“One of them was pregnant and one had a broken leg.”
Once they got the three people on their boat, the two fishermen then got the 10 people in the life-raft onto their boat as well.
Lucas said there was noise and chaos everywhere.
“You could hear people screaming on the rocks and within a few minutes that we were calling for help there was half-a-dozen boats,” he said. “We were telling the big boats to go around the rocks and the reefs where the accident happened.”
“The waves were crashing so hard, it was hard for them to hear us, but we kept pointing. ‘There’s people, people need help’.”
‘I told him ‘you’re going to be OK’
Lucas and Smith gave everyone blankets and clothes and tried to keep them warm, and said that it seems many were just clinging to life.
“They were lifeless, everybody was exhausted,” said Lucas. “Everybody was tired, nobody said a word. Everybody was shivering.”
One of the survivors was missing a shoe and his leg was entangled in fishing line. He didn’t have the energy to try and free himself.
“He had one shoe on, but his one leg was wrapped up in line, which was hung up in the boat,” said Lucas. “I was telling [Smith] this morning that if we didn’t catch that guy and take that line off his ankle, because he was so lifeless he couldn’t even swim. He was just hanging on for dear life.”
Lucas quickly asked Smith for a knife to cut the man free. “I cut the line and then he laid lifeless in the boat, he was so exhausted. He couldn’t say nothing, he couldn’t sit up. I touched his ears and his head and I rubbed his head and I told him ‘you’re going to be OK. I said ‘you’re going to be OK’.”
No distress call
“We were listening on the radio for any distress [signals], but [there were] none,” said Smith.
Lucas said he thinks the crew didn’t have a chance to call for help – everything happened too fast.
One of the crew members told him she was only able to find the one flare and set it off. “She came across one flare and she shot it off in the sky and that’s what I captured,” said Lucas. “That one flare.”
“Just a single flare that I captured, shooting in the sky.”
Jamie’s Whaling Station said, as far as they know, there was no distress call issued.
What happened?
What caused the 20-metre vessel to capsize is still not clear.
Lucas said a woman they rescued, who identified herself as a crew member, told him a wave caused the Leviathan to capsize.
“The one lady told us that they capsized from a wave. The Leviathan took a wave from the broadside, took a wave and the boat went right sideways, flipped on its side,” Lucas said.
It is still unclear who was wearing a life jacket at the time of the capsizing.
“The employees of Jamie’s didn’t have any [survival suits] on and a lot of the [tourists] had their [lifejackets] on,” said Lucas. “Nobody that was a part of the Jamie’s Whaling Station had no lifejackets on. Everybody else did.”
“Well some of them.”
The investigation continues.
‘You could hear people screaming’: Heroes recount rescuing survivors of whale-watching tragedy | Globalnews.ca
That flare came from the Leviathan II, a whale-watching boat operated by Jamie’s Whaling Station. The vessel had 27 people on board and capsized near Tofino around 4 p.m. Five people are confirmed dead and one person is still missing.
Lucas was dragging his fishing gear out of the water when he saw the flare in the sky.
“We pulled our gear in and we went running out to help,” he said.
As they were heading to the scene, the two members of the Ashouhat First Nation called for more help.
“Within minutes there were half-a-dozen boats, including ourselves,” said Lucas.
‘You could hear people screaming’
When Lucas and Smith arrived at the scene, they plucked three people out of the water right away.
“We got to the life-raft and the guys were pointing us in the direction [saying] ‘there’s people in the water over there’,” said Smith.
“We went to get three people in the water. One guy was clinging to the hull of the Leviathan so we picked him first. And then I heard voices a little ways away, there was two ladies, one hanging on to each other. One of them had a lifejacket, and the other one, I’m not sure if she did or not.”
“One of them was pregnant and one had a broken leg.”
Once they got the three people on their boat, the two fishermen then got the 10 people in the life-raft onto their boat as well.
Lucas said there was noise and chaos everywhere.
“You could hear people screaming on the rocks and within a few minutes that we were calling for help there was half-a-dozen boats,” he said. “We were telling the big boats to go around the rocks and the reefs where the accident happened.”
“The waves were crashing so hard, it was hard for them to hear us, but we kept pointing. ‘There’s people, people need help’.”
‘I told him ‘you’re going to be OK’
Lucas and Smith gave everyone blankets and clothes and tried to keep them warm, and said that it seems many were just clinging to life.
“They were lifeless, everybody was exhausted,” said Lucas. “Everybody was tired, nobody said a word. Everybody was shivering.”
One of the survivors was missing a shoe and his leg was entangled in fishing line. He didn’t have the energy to try and free himself.
“He had one shoe on, but his one leg was wrapped up in line, which was hung up in the boat,” said Lucas. “I was telling [Smith] this morning that if we didn’t catch that guy and take that line off his ankle, because he was so lifeless he couldn’t even swim. He was just hanging on for dear life.”
Lucas quickly asked Smith for a knife to cut the man free. “I cut the line and then he laid lifeless in the boat, he was so exhausted. He couldn’t say nothing, he couldn’t sit up. I touched his ears and his head and I rubbed his head and I told him ‘you’re going to be OK. I said ‘you’re going to be OK’.”
No distress call
“We were listening on the radio for any distress [signals], but [there were] none,” said Smith.
Lucas said he thinks the crew didn’t have a chance to call for help – everything happened too fast.
One of the crew members told him she was only able to find the one flare and set it off. “She came across one flare and she shot it off in the sky and that’s what I captured,” said Lucas. “That one flare.”
“Just a single flare that I captured, shooting in the sky.”
Jamie’s Whaling Station said, as far as they know, there was no distress call issued.
What happened?
What caused the 20-metre vessel to capsize is still not clear.
Lucas said a woman they rescued, who identified herself as a crew member, told him a wave caused the Leviathan to capsize.
“The one lady told us that they capsized from a wave. The Leviathan took a wave from the broadside, took a wave and the boat went right sideways, flipped on its side,” Lucas said.
It is still unclear who was wearing a life jacket at the time of the capsizing.
“The employees of Jamie’s didn’t have any [survival suits] on and a lot of the [tourists] had their [lifejackets] on,” said Lucas. “Nobody that was a part of the Jamie’s Whaling Station had no lifejackets on. Everybody else did.”
“Well some of them.”
The investigation continues.
‘You could hear people screaming’: Heroes recount rescuing survivors of whale-watching tragedy | Globalnews.ca
I think something anti conservative, anti Harper, or anti Bush will do it, oh and especially Aunty Sarah!
My info is 5 dead and one missing. everyone crowded to one side and pushed the beam ends
under water. The mainly open boat then swallowed enough water to tip it. The safest whale watching boats
are large Zodiac type boats.
apparently this was a large boat, people 'not' required to wear lifejackets, only in the open boats,
but of course they were available if needed, and they definitely were needed.
I was wondering if they had hit a rock, but they probably wouldn't have gone over that fast if they
hit a rock, I would think, but of course I don't know the circumstance of that mishap.
but of course they were available if needed, and they definitely were needed.
I was wondering if they had hit a rock, but they probably wouldn't have gone over that fast if they
hit a rock, I would think, but of course I don't know the circumstance of that mishap.
As far as I know. Just because it was used in a different light doesn't make it valid. I don't see whale watching listed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_in_action
Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to armed services personnel and other combatants who are reported missing during wartime. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave has been positively identified. Becoming MIA has been an occupational risk for as long as there has been warfare.
I'll bet you say that quite often when you get confronted after trying to say something that sounds cool.
And you don't have to worry about sunburn!
Boy, this is getting to be a matter of semantics!
The five known dead are British, with an Australian missing.
Father and son dead in Canada whale boat sinking
BBC News
27 October 2015
Marine investigator: "It is much too early to say what the causes and contributing factors of this accident might be"
Two Britons who died when a whale-watching boat sank off the coast of western Canada have been named as a father and son from Swindon, Wiltshire.
David Thomas, 50, and his son Stephen Thomas, 17, were among five Britons who died. An Australian is missing.
Stephen's mother Julie was among 21 people rescued from Leviathan II.
Officials have said more of the 27 people on board the boat could have died had it not been for the "amazing response" from locals around Tofino.
Canadian government investigators have now arrived at the scene.
The cause of the accident remains unknown but sea conditions at the time of the incident were said to be calm.
Corene Inouye, director of operations at Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre, the company that owns the boat, said: "It appears the incident happened so quickly that the crew didn't have an opportunity to send out a Mayday."
She added the skipper of the ship has more than 20 years' whale-watching experience and had completed 18 years with the company.
Company owner Jamie Bray said passengers on the boat were not required to wear life jackets as it has enclosed compartments, which would be difficult to exit in the event of a sinking.
Father and son dead in Canada whale boat sinking - BBC News
Father and son dead in Canada whale boat sinking
BBC News
27 October 2015
Marine investigator: "It is much too early to say what the causes and contributing factors of this accident might be"
Two Britons who died when a whale-watching boat sank off the coast of western Canada have been named as a father and son from Swindon, Wiltshire.
David Thomas, 50, and his son Stephen Thomas, 17, were among five Britons who died. An Australian is missing.
Stephen's mother Julie was among 21 people rescued from Leviathan II.
Officials have said more of the 27 people on board the boat could have died had it not been for the "amazing response" from locals around Tofino.
Canadian government investigators have now arrived at the scene.
The cause of the accident remains unknown but sea conditions at the time of the incident were said to be calm.
Corene Inouye, director of operations at Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre, the company that owns the boat, said: "It appears the incident happened so quickly that the crew didn't have an opportunity to send out a Mayday."
She added the skipper of the ship has more than 20 years' whale-watching experience and had completed 18 years with the company.
Company owner Jamie Bray said passengers on the boat were not required to wear life jackets as it has enclosed compartments, which would be difficult to exit in the event of a sinking.
Father and son dead in Canada whale boat sinking - BBC News
That is what I read. Anyway, in that case, the boat was overloaded.
Or a houseboat type affair with wide beam and lots of outside floatation. They are pretty slow moving, though.