Saanich kayaker’s body found in Washington

The body of a man who went missing while kayaking near the Beecher Bay Marina has washed up in Washington state.

The remains were discovered July 3 on the shore in Clallam County. An examination by the Clallam County Coroner’s Office identified the body as that of Lin (Michael) Wang, a 56-year-old Saanich man, said Sooke RCMP detachment commander Staff Sgt. Jeff McArthur.

A couple hiking the rocky coastline found the body off Highway 112 east of Clallam Bay, according to the Washington newspaper Peninsula Daily News.

Clallam Bay is about 43 kilometres across the water from East Sooke.

The kayaker’s family identified the man from photos of the body and the clothing he was wearing, officials from the county sheriff’s office told Washington state media.

Wang went missing while fishing in a kayak near Beecher Bay Marina in East Sooke on June 19. His disappearance triggered a large search, in the air, on the ground and on the water.

A kayak washed up on Hoskyn Point but Wang was not found.

The death has been deemed accidental. The B.C. Coroners Service is investigating.