Halifax man, 28, dies in Shelburne County kayaking incident

SHELBURNE — The search for a missing kayaker in West Green Harbour, Shelburne County, on the evening of April 14 had a tragic end.

The kayaker, a 28-year-old man from Halifax, was located but was later pronounced dead at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital where he had been flown by helicopter.

According to an RCMP media release, at 7:43 p.m. on Tuesday, the Shelburne RCMP was called to assist the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) regarding a missing boater. A concerned family member had contacted JRCC when the kayaker, who had gone out at about 5:30 p.m., had not returned as expected.

The man and his kayak were located in the water at about 9 p.m. with help from the crew of a local fishing vessel. He had been wearing a personal floatation device, the RCMP said.

A Cormorant helicopter and Hercules aircraft had also helped in the search.

“The most expeditious way to get the individual to medical care was via the Cormorant helicopter so our technicians recovered him and then transported him to the medical authorities in Yarmouth,” said Lt.-cmdr. Brian Owens, senior public affairs officer with JRCC in Halifax.

“The man received further medical assistance in Yarmouth, however, was pronounced deceased at approximately 11:30 p.m.,” said the RCMP release.

Owens said he didn't know how long overdue the person had been when the call was made to JRCC but he said they immediately put out a call for assistance to help search for the person.

“We initiated the urgent broadcast via the marine system to have any vessels in the area keep an eye out. It's a normal process that we ask any commercial vessel, any fishing vessel, anyone in the area to keep an eye out and to assist,” he said.

“If there is an urgent case and someone is overdue, in a marine situation we activate the system. There is no waiting period for us to say wait an hour and call us back. We initiate based on the information we receive from the individual making the phone call,” he added.

“We understand the critical nature of responding as quickly as possible. A lot of concurrent activities go on at the same time — so as we're talking to the person, getting the information, others are putting out the broadcast to start looking. The best hope is there is a fishing vessel nearby that sees them and says everything is good, or they see them and pull them out of the water.”

Two coast guard vessels also helped in the search, but one was called off shortly after because the missing person had been found.