RCN sailor found and rescued

[Colin Parkinson]

Looks like an exercise turned into a No Duff situation with a happy ending!

-STATEMENT BY RADM DAVID PATCHELL, COMMANDER MARITIME FORCES PACIFIC / JOINT TASK FORCE PACIFIC


Today, December 8, 2025, at 2:43 p.m. local time, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria was alerted to a person overboard. One of our Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) members had fallen from a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) approximately 0.5 nautical miles east of Bentinck Island, near Albert Head, British Columbia. At the time, the RHIB was returning from conducting sentry duties off the Bentinck Island range.

In response, JRCC tasked multiple search and rescue assets, including a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter, a CC-295 Kingfisher aircraft, a United States Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, multiple Canadian Coast Guard vessels, RCN Orca-class patrol vessels, and His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Regina. Despite challenging conditions—high winds, large swells, and darkness—the member was located at 5:00 p.m. local time, signaling for help as rescuers approached. He was subsequently recovered by the Pacific Pilotage Authority vessel Pacific Guardian and transferred to local Emergency Health Services.

Thanks to the swift coordination and unwavering professionalism of all agencies involved, a life was saved today. This incident serves as a powerful reminder of the dedication and readiness of our search and rescue partners, and of the strength we demonstrate when we respond together. We are profoundly grateful for the tireless efforts of everyone who took part in this operation. On behalf of Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific, we extend our sincere appreciation to all who helped bring our member home safely.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Good FLIR video from the Kingfisher.

Sailor rescued after falling overboard near Bentinck Island in major multi-agency search

A Royal Canadian Navy member is alive and recovering after a high-risk search and rescue operation off southern Vancouver Island Monday afternoon.

cheknews.ca

Yes, that is a Cyclone in the hover over the sailor. Great work by the crew from Pat Bay to knock off a training mission and switch into SAR mode then spot them, just at last light. The rescue was actually done by the Victoria Port Authority Pilot boat, as they were the closest surface vessel and that was the safest way to get the sailor out of the water.

Great team effort from 3 RCAF aircraft; the US Coast Guard; Canadian Coast Guard, RCN and especially the Pilot boat!

 

[OldSolduer]

Good job. Glad the sailor was rescued!!

 

[daftandbarmy]

Looks like an exercise turned into a No Duff situation with a happy ending!

-STATEMENT BY RADM DAVID PATCHELL, COMMANDER MARITIME FORCES PACIFIC / JOINT TASK FORCE PACIFIC


Today, December 8, 2025, at 2:43 p.m. local time, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria was alerted to a person overboard. One of our Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) members had fallen from a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) approximately 0.5 nautical miles east of Bentinck Island, near Albert Head, British Columbia. At the time, the RHIB was returning from conducting sentry duties off the Bentinck Island range.

In response, JRCC tasked multiple search and rescue assets, including a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter, a CC-295 Kingfisher aircraft, a United States Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, multiple Canadian Coast Guard vessels, RCN Orca-class patrol vessels, and His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Regina. Despite challenging conditions—high winds, large swells, and darkness—the member was located at 5:00 p.m. local time, signaling for help as rescuers approached. He was subsequently recovered by the Pacific Pilotage Authority vessel Pacific Guardian and transferred to local Emergency Health Services.

Thanks to the swift coordination and unwavering professionalism of all agencies involved, a life was saved today. This incident serves as a powerful reminder of the dedication and readiness of our search and rescue partners, and of the strength we demonstrate when we respond together. We are profoundly grateful for the tireless efforts of everyone who took part in this operation. On behalf of Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific, we extend our sincere appreciation to all who helped bring our member home safely.

And the MOB was wearing a dry suit and a life jacket.

2 hours in the water around there would easily kill anyone lesser equipped.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Lot's of good lessons will come out of this and at minimal costs. As part of my diver training they let us bob around in the ocean with a radio beacon and no boat in sight, it's a very lonely feeling.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Lot's of good lessons will come out of this and at minimal costs. As part of my diver training they let us bob around in the ocean with a radio beacon and no boat in sight, it's a very lonely feeling.

I’ve done diver deployments in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

It is a very lonely feeling when the helicopter flies even a 1/4 NM away to come around for the pickup approach after dropping you…

 

[Halifax Tar]

Glad the sailor is safe and sound! BZ to all involved.

Lot's of good lessons will come out of this and at minimal costs. As part of my diver training they let us bob around in the ocean with a radio beacon and no boat in sight, it's a very lonely feeling.

I couldn't imagine. The loneliness would be immense.

 

[armrdsoul77]

I assume the sailor wasn't alone in the boat when they went overboard. Why wasn't it noticed in time to retrieve him/her? Conditions were bad but still daylight. Do they have a flashing beacon on the life vests they can activate?
Glad they are now safe.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

I assume the sailor wasn't alone in the boat when they went overboard. Why wasn't it noticed in time to retrieve him/her? Conditions were bad but still daylight. Do they have a flashing beacon on the life vests they can activate?
Glad they are now safe.

My understanding is that the boat coxswain went overboard…taking with him the kill switch. Therefore, anybody left in the boat can no longer drive the boat.

Given the weather conditions of the day (windy) and the normal swirling currents in that area, anyone in the water would very quickly be separated from the boat.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

My understanding is that the boat coxswain went overboard…taking with him the kill switch. Therefore, anybody left in the boat can no longer drive the boat.

Given the weather conditions of the day (windy) and the normal swirling currents in that area, anyone in the water would very quickly be separated from the boat.

We always kept a extra kill switch fob on the boats. worse comes to worse you can wrap wire or string around the button to perform the same function to keep the button extend and the ignition live.

 

[Halifax Tar]

We always kept a extra kill switch fob on the boats. worse comes to worse you can wrap wire or string around the button to perform the same function to keep the button extend and the ignition live.

What happened to the boat, and I am assuming other occupant(s) ?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

What happened to the boat, and I am assuming other occupant(s) ?

The whole thing is odd, the boat would drift away from the MOB pretty quickly, but they should have had a radio and GPS to give position of themselves, Last Known Position (LKP) of the MOB. One person could have held the kill switch open while another started the boat and brought it back to the MOB.

Even if they could not get the engine to start, they could radio their GPS coordinates every few minutes and the ship could plot the likely drift of the boat and the MOB.

It sounds like the boat operator was the only one trained on the boat and the rest panicked/stop thinking clearly. I so want to read the incident report.

Years and years ago, we had a guy come and give us Rescue Specialists a lecture. He had been sailing off of Point Grey, he went overboard, wearing one of the "New" floater jackets, onboard was his wife who had no clue how to sail/drive the boat, she was hysterical, but did make the Mayday call, as the boat sailed away, he watched helplessly. Then a news helicopter heard the Mayday broadcast, they flew out to the area and spotted the guy in the water, they could not retrieve him, but acted as a spotter for the CCG to rescue him and then another CCG boat rescued the wife in the sailboat. They whole thing was recorded by the news helicopter, so we watched the video as he talked. His thing now was going around to yacht clubs, power squadrons and convincing couple to practice man overboard and making sure everyone can drive the boat and rescue the other person.

 

[daftandbarmy]

The whole thing is odd, the boat would drift away from the MOB pretty quickly, but they should have had a radio and GPS to give position of themselves, Last Known Position (LKP) of the MOB. One person could have held the kill switch open while another started the boat and brought it back to the MOB.

Even if they could not get the engine to start, they could radio their GPS coordinates every few minutes and the ship could plot the likely drift of the boat and the MOB.

It sounds like the boat operator was the only one trained on the boat and the rest panicked/stop thinking clearly. I so want to read the incident report.

Years and years ago, we had a guy come and give us Rescue Specialists a lecture. He had been sailing off of Point Grey, he went overboard, wearing one of the "New" floater jackets, onboard was his wife who had no clue how to sail/drive the boat, she was hysterical, but did make the Mayday call, as the boat sailed away, he watched helplessly. Then a news helicopter heard the Mayday broadcast, they flew out to the area and spotted the guy in the water, they could not retrieve him, but acted as a spotter for the CCG to rescue him and then another CCG boat rescued the wife in the sailboat. They whole thing was recorded by the news helicopter, so we watched the video as he talked. His thing now was going around to yacht clubs, power squadrons and convincing couple to practice man overboard and making sure everyone can drive the boat and rescue the other person.

A Reddit thread on the incident that echoes your 'spare kill switch' recommendation...

https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianForces/comments/1pihap6/sailor_rescued_off_vancouver_island

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I liked this one

their nickname needs to be oscar for at least the next couple of years.