Cultus Lake claims another drowning victim as RCMP issue warning

“Officers responded immediately, along with other first responder agencies, and began searching the area where the man was last seen,” Kiener said.

At around 2:40 p.m., the man’s body was located in the water near Entrance Bay and recovered.

On Aug. 8, a 13-year-old girl went missing in Entrance Bay while floating on a paddleboard. She was not wearing a life-jacket and her body was recovered three days later.

Police said that one hour after the teen’s body was recovered emergency services were called to the lake with a report of a man who had fallen from his paddleboard in Half Moon Bay. Two people in an inflatable kayak had attempted to rescue him but one of its occupants also fell into the water. No one was wearing a life-jacket.

A police vessel involved in the recovery of the teen’s body rescued the group.

Police are warning that Cultus Lake is particularly dangerous for swimmers, with steep underwater drop-offs, silt in some areas and sudden gusts of strong winds that can push flotation devices away from the shore.

The B.C. Coroners Service’s most recent report on drownings shows July and August are the most dangerous months of the year and that 86 per cent of the 98 people who drowned in 2025 were male.

In 2025, almost 30 per cent of drownings were in lakes or ponds, 20 per cent in rivers and 20 per cent in baths.

There have been eight drownings in Cultus Lake since 2015. In the same period, 33 people have drowned in Okanagan Lake.

The number of people who have drowned in B.C. so far this year (at least 42) is around 50 per cent higher than the same time last year.

dcarrigg@postmedia.com