NORTH SHORE RESCUES

Ottawa man requires surgery after fall off rocks at Orby Head

Help needed after a fall at Orby Head and the stranding of two swimmers on a sandbar off Grand Tracadie Beach

An Ottawa man visiting P.E.I.’s picturesque north shore beaches will be spending part of his stay in hospital after falling off rocks at Orby Head.

The New Glasgow and North Rustico fire Department responded to a call Sunday afternoon from the man, who managed to contact 911 despite limited cellphone reception in the north shore area.

The Orby Head cliffs are known as some of the highest on the Island, but New Glasgow fire Chief Jason Peters said it didn’t appear the man fell from the top.

While Peters couldn’t say how far up the cliff the man was at the time, the impact was enough to break both of his heels.

The man, who Peters estimates is in his 30s, will require surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

“I guess he was sightseeing on this beautiful Island and ended up with a bit of a mishap,” said Peters on Monday, adding the man told firefighters he was walking along the beach and decided to attempt to climb up the steep rocks.

Winds were high Sunday, and the rocks were slippery. Firefighters had to rappel down the cliff to reach the man, but it was unsafe to attempt to lift him back to the top.

The New Glasgow department dispatched a boat to Orby Head to pick up the man and take him to shore.

North Rustico fisherman Ian Gauthier accompanied the fire department’s boat in his own vessel due to the rough water conditions at the time.

In an unrelated incident Sunday, the RCMP, North Shore Fire Department and Island EMS responded to a report of two swimmers in distress in the waters off Grand Tracadie Beach at around 6:15 p.m.

The swimmers, women aged 20 and 28, were using an inflatable beach device in the water when the winds began to blow them further away from the main beach.

North Shore fire Chief Jason Blackman said the pair did exactly what they should have by not fighting the wind and current.

The women eventually made it safely to shore, but were on the peninsula across from the main beach with no way to get back.

The first responders called in a fishing boat piloted by Randall Clow, who is a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Blackman said high winds and a low tide made the rescue somewhat difficult, but the two women were eventually brought back to the main beach.

The women were checked by paramedics and deemed uninjured, so it was not necessary to take them to the hospital.

The RCMP warns that, with summer approaching, the public should be cautious about conditions when swimming in ocean waters, particularly during poor weather.