Two Alberta men dead in boat sinking near Tofino

Two Alberta men are dead after a sport-fishing vessel overturned and sank near Tofino on Sunday.

RCMP said Monday the men are 32 and 42 years old, but their names and hometowns have not been released. Three other men were rescued, treated and released from hospital.

Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau said Tofino RCMP is still investigating the Sunday capsizing of the 8.4-metre sport fishing vessel in waters northwest of Bartlett Island near Tofino.

Linteau said other sport fishing vessels in the area helped rescue the men from the water. Canadian Coast Guard personnel provided lifesaving measures.

She said the Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the cause of the accident.

This is the second fatal boat accident near Tofino in less than two years.

The other accident killed six on Oct. 25, 2015. The whalewatching vessel Leviathan II, operated by Jamie’s Whaling Station and Adventure Centre, capsized and tossed 27 passengers and crew into the water. Twenty one were rescued and survived.

Kristen Soder, executive director of Tourism Tofino, said there is nothing to link the Leviathan II and the Sunday boat accident.

“We live in an ocean community and there are risks every time you are out on the ocean,” Soder said. “The ocean can be an unpredictable place.”

Later, in an email she said marine operators are strictly regulated and many voluntarily take additional certifications. Risks exist but accidents are rare.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria said on Sunday the catamaran was fishing for halibut.

Sub-Lt. Melissa Kia with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria, said someone on the boat made a distress call about 1:20 p.m.

“We were able to talk with the vessel, live, to confirm that the five passengers were abandoning into the water. While the boat was attempting to get in a better position to speak with us via cellphone, it lost communications with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre,” she said.

Coast guard rescue boats, a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter and a plane from CFB Comox were all dispatched to look for the passengers, and a broadcast was put out asking marine vessels nearby to search the area.

Two commercial float planes also responded to the call for help, Kia said, and one of them spotted the people in the water and directed rescuers to the location.

“All five people were recovered from the water by two vessels of opportunity [non-coast guard boats] that were very close to the position,” Kia said.

Jason Bertin said a float plane from his Tofino company, Atleo River Air Service, spotted the vessel and pinpointed its location for rescuers.

“We got called by a local who asked us to go look, so we dispatched a float plane and we dispatched a helicopter out of the airport,” he said. Bertin said he was in the helicopter but turned back after the vessel was spotted by the other aircraft.

Bate said the boats linked up with the coast guard, and an offduty paramedic provided CPR to one passenger while a Coast Guard Rescue Specialist tried to resuscitate another.

All five people were taken to emergency health services in Tofino. A spokeswoman for Island Health said Sunday that the survivors were treated and released.

Kia said the sea was about two to three metres high Sunday afternoon and lighting conditions in the area were good. She said the water temperature off the west coast of Vancouver Island is between about eight and 10 C at this time of year.

Bertin said the vessel was located in waters “very close” to where the Leviathan II capsized. The Transportation Safety Board has yet to complete its investigation into the cause of the tragedy.