Father And 12 Year Old Rescued After 6 Hours In Water – Lifejackets Saved Both Their Lives

(THUNDER BAY, ON) – On Saturday, June 11, 2016, a 43 year old male from Thunder Bay and his 12-year-old son set out fishing in a canoe at Portage Bay on Lake Superior. The male and his son, who were both wearing their lifejackets, set out at about 12:00pm on a hot, sunny day, with calm waters.

A short time later, the wind picked up causing the waves to grow. At this time, the male decided to return to shore. As they struggled to turn the canoe around to head to shore, the water and waves became very rough and pushed the canoe further out of the bay.

At approximately 12:35pm, a large wave lifted the canoe causing it to capsize, throwing the two males into Lake Superior. They were able to swim to the canoe with the assistance of their lifejackets and subsequently uprighted the canoe but it had filled with water. The son was able to sit in the canoe in waist deep water while his father hung on to the side of the canoe.

The two males attempted to wave for help with no response from anyone. The waves pushed the canoe into Black Bay and eventually further towards Black Bay Peninsula. The boat capsized several more times as large waves continued to hit the canoe.

The male’s wife, who was very concerned for the safety of her husband and son, summoned the help of a local fisherman who began searching for the canoe.

At approximately 6:00pm, the wife reported her concern to officers from the Thunder Bay Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and OPP Marine officers were dispatched shortly thereafter.

During this time, the wife was advised by a neighbour that an OPP officer had a camp in the area. The wife attended and spoke with the off duty OPP officer who immediately got in his boat to look for the two males. At the time, the waves were five to six feet high with strong, gusty winds. At approximately 6:45pm, the officer located the father and son.

The father and son had been in the water of Lake Superior for approximately six hours. The officer transported the two males back to shore, and both were transported to hospital by ambulance for medical attention.

The male has indicated that without the life jackets both he and his son were wearing, they would not be alive today. He also feels their survival can be attributed to the fact that they both were able to remain calm and patient while waiting for help to arrive.

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