Vernon Search and Rescue (VSAR) is urging caution on the water after a woman was swept away in the Shuswap River between Lumby and Cherryville Wednesday afternoon.

VSAR's Coralie Nairn said the woman, a tourist, was in the water with her dog in the early afternoon of July 17. The dog was able to get out of the river, but witnesses saw the woman get swept away. 

Nairn said VSAR's swift water team responded to the area, which was near where the river narrows into a canyon. The RCMP also quickly responded with its helicopter, and it was the pilot that spotted the woman and was able to retrieve her at the top end of the canyon.

Nairn said the woman was OK after the frightening incident.

Nairn said the stretch of the river where the woman was swept away is particularly dangerous, because after it narrows into the canyon, it opens up above Shuswap Falls, and "there is potential to be swept over the falls, which is certain death."

"Especially this area of the river is not a good area to be swimming in," she said. 

While mid-July is a time of year when many are looking to hit the water, Nairn said extra caution is currently needed anywhere on the river because the spring freshet came about six weeks late this year. 

"The spring freshet is really late this year, primarily because of low snow levels but also we got a lot of rain and then not a lot of heat, so mountain snow wasn't melting. So we are still in it, even though we are in mid-summer," she said. 

The Shuswap River is still running fast and high, so there is "considerable risk," Nairn said. 

While many are eager to bring their pool floaties to the river to cool off, Nairn cautioned that flotation devices that are designed for a pool are "not a guaranteed flotation device when going down a river," as tree branches and other sharp objects can easily puncture these devices. She said life jackets are a must, especially when rivers are running fast. 

And tying yourself to a cooler or other object is also a significant safety hazard, Nairn added.