(TOWN OF WASAGA BEACH, ON) – The Huronia West Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a drowning in Georgian Bay, off the shore of Allenwood Beach, east of the Nottawasaga river, in the Town of Wasaga Beach.
On June 16, 2024, at approximately 1:50 p.m., Huronia West OPP officers, members of the Huronia West Marine Unit, Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) Helicopter, and Wasaga Beach Fire and Rescue responded to a call for service regarding an individual that was observed falling off their paddleboard without a lifejacket. The individual was reportedly no longer visible in the water after their paddleboard was blown away and they were attempting to swim approximately 100 meters towards the shore.
Shortly after 2:00 p.m., a 61-year-old male was located submerged in the water. The male was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The OPP is committed to boater education, marine patrol/law enforcement and saving lives on more than 110,000 square kilometers of Ontario waterways. With capsized vessels and falling overboard the top contributing factors in boating deaths every year, a significant number of lives stand to be saved if boaters, personal watercraft users and paddlers wore a lifejacket or personal floatation device (PFD).
