Whale watch Britons killed ‘trying to get a better view’
FIVE British tourists died during a whale watching trip in Canada after their boat capsized.
The tourists were on an organised expedition off Vancouver Island when the 65ft vessel got into difficulty and all 27 people on board were flung into the freezing water.
There was speculation yesterday that the boat may have diverted into a rocky area to allow passengers a glimpse of sea lions.
Dozens of fishermen and water taxi operators from the local aboriginal community raced to the stricken vessel after it made a Mayday call late on Sunday afternoon. They risked their lives, dragging 21 survivors from the sea.
But four men and a woman, all Britons between 18 and 76, were pronounced dead at the scene. Another person was still missing yesterday.
Of the survivors, 18 were treated for hypothermia in hospital. All but four had been released by last night.
Pictures showed the boat, Leviathan II, bobbing vertically in the water with only a small section of bow visible.
It was unclear last night how it sank in less than 30 minutes on an apparently calm and clear day. It went down eight miles from the town of Tofino – about 150 miles west of Vancouver – from where the trip had departed.
One witness claimed a freak wave had ‘flipped their boat completely’. But there were also suggestions it could have hit rocks while trying to give passengers a view of sea lions.
A local fishing guide said the area where the boat went down was very dangerous to navigate, as it was peppered with submerged reefs and jagged rocks.
Government investigators were last night travelling to the remote town, which has 2,000 residents.
Locals described ‘grim scenes’ as the bodies of the dead were pulled ashore and survivors were treated.
Water temperatures near Tofino hit a peak of 12C (55F) on Sunday, but it was likely to be much colder at the time of the accident as the sun had gone down, locals said.
The US Search and Rescue Task Force said a person dropped into water that cold could be expected to survive only about 15 minutes before hypothermia set in.
One of the men who died had been living in Ontario, while the female victim was resident in British Columbia. The other three dead were visitors from the UK. Authorities were contacting their families last night ahead of identifying them. The tourists had reportedly visited Hot Springs Cove and had just been picked up in the boat when disaster struck.
The covered cruiser was near Plover Reef, west of Vargas Island, when it sent a Mayday call shortly after 4pm local time.
Within minutes people from nearby indigenous villages, boat operators and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were at the scene.
A Royal Canadian Air Force Cormorant rescue helicopter and a Buffalo fixed-wing aircraft were scrambled and three coastguard ships joined the rescue attempt.
Aboriginal Councillor Tom Campbell said his cousin pulled at least eight people from the water, adding: ‘Their looks tell the whole story … totally lost, shocked and lost.’
John Forde, owner of another whale watching firm, Tofino Whale Centre, changed course to help with the search. But the Leviathan II was all but submerged when he arrived. He said: ‘It was quite close to the rocks and you could still see part of the vessel above water.’
Sheila Simpson was walking at the docks at the time. She said: ‘There was absolute pandemonium … paramedics were down there working with those who were critical. One didn’t make it. He was lying under a white sheet.’
She added: ‘One couple, I think they were from England, they might have even been on their honeymoon, you could see it in their eyes … “this didn’t happen”.’
Witness Alec Dick told Canada’s Global News a wave ‘flipped their boat completely … they got swamped by a wave’. Asked if passengers had had time to put life jackets on, he added: ‘I don’t think they had time to do anything.’ Tofino fishing guide Lance Desilets said he saw at least 12 rescue boats and ‘lots of personal belongings floating around, purses, backpacks, cameras … pretty grim’.
He added: ‘My guess is they were watching sea lions. I guess they got too close and hit the rocks … Waves were crashing against the rocks and the tide would have been pulling you out … I’ve been a fishing guide in Tofino for 15 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this … It’s disturbing.’
The area is popular with British tourists, with bear watching trips, visits to hot springs and fishing expeditions also on offer. The Levi-
‘Absolute pandemonium’ ‘Swamped by a wave’
athan II, belonged to local firm Jamie’s Whaling Station, which had described the whale-watching boat as ‘Tofino’s largest and most comfortable’. A three-hour trip costs £80 for adults and £52 for children.
In a statement yesterday, owner Jamie Bray thanked rescuers and said: ‘Our entire team is heartbroken … and our hearts go out to the families, friends and loved ones of everyone involved … We are co-operating with investigators to determine exactly what happened.’
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board confirmed it was investigating the sinking.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed the British deaths ‘with deep sadness’, adding that consular staff were supporting the victims’ families.