The 58-year-old man was paddle boarding at Hayward Lake, where it’s believed he lost his balance and fell into the water.
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A man drowned while paddleboarding at Hayward Lake in Mission on Thursday.
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Mission RCMP say first responders were called at about 6 p.m.
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The 58-year-old man from Mission had been out paddleboarding in the area of the dog beach, where it’s believed he lost his balance and fell into the water.
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Police say he wasn’t wearing a personal flotation device, and reportedly had limited swimming abilities.
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The man’s wife — who had remained on shore — began yelling for help, said an RCMP news release on Friday.
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A passerby heard the distress cries and then used the man’s paddleboard to search the area.
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Mounties say he spotted the victim underwater, grabbed hold of him and brought him back to the shore, where he performed CPR.
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Lifeguards who had been stationed on the main swimming beach — nearly half a kilometre away — were in the process of leaving the area when alerted. They rushed to the dog beach and continued CPR until other first responders arrived.
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The area where the man drowned wasn’t a part of the lake supervised by lifeguards, RCMP said.
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Authorities are urging anyone venturing out on the water this summer to wear a life-jacket.
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“Unexpected factors such as hitting your head, cold water shock, undercurrents or a collision with a watercraft can all have an immediate impact on your ability to keep yourself above the water, and a simple personal flotation device could mean the difference between a fun day on the water and a sad and tragic outcome,” RCMP said.
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