A witness to a tragic is calling on Parks Canada to reinstate lifeguards at Lovekin Rock within the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
Vancouver resident Darleen Saxer told the Westerly News she was at Long Beach when the tragedy occurred and saw two surfers pulling a person out of the water near Lovekin Rock as bystanders raced to assist prior to paramedics arriving.
害羞草研究所淢y heart goes out to the family害羞草研究所 just really hope to see some sort of change to make it more welcoming to every level of surfer to the beach,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 something that could change somebody害羞草研究所檚 life forever.害羞草研究所�
Saxer said she did some research after witnessing the incident and learned about the rescues and tragedies that have occurred at Lovekin Rock, including two people who died in the area in 2018 and four people who were rescued off the rock via helicopter in 2019.
Surf Guards had been stationed at a tower overlooking Lovekin Rock for 40 years before budget cuts in 2012 prompted Parks Canada to cancel the program.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 actually really surprised that a National Park doesn害羞草研究所檛 have a lifeguard on duty, especially at such a hot tourist location,害羞草研究所� Saxer said, noting the Park Reserve sees over one million visitors a year. 害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 kind of shocking.害羞草研究所�
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve superintendent Karen Haugen told the Westerly News via email that Parks Canada is 害羞草研究所渄eeply saddened害羞草研究所� by the tragedy, noting that BC Ambulance Service, Parks Canada staff and off-duty doctors, who were bystanders at the time of the incident, all responded to the scene.
害羞草研究所淥ur hearts are with the family and friends of the victim,害羞草研究所� Haugen said.
She added though that the Surf Guard program will not be returning.
害羞草研究所淧arks Canada does not have plans to reinstate the surf guard service. Surfing is an activity that takes place year round in the Long Beach Unit and surrounding region. It is not sustainable to provide extensive supervision,害羞草研究所� Haugen said. 害羞草研究所淧arks Canada strives to educate visitors about ocean hazards and prevent tragedies from occurring. Water users are responsible for making informed decisions about ocean safety.害羞草研究所�
She said Parks Canada has continued to expand its efforts to help visitors make informed decisions about ocean safety through education and prevention measures including, monitoring environmental conditions every day, determining the level of risk, sharing the information with visitors, and implementing risk reduction tactics like closures, if needed.
害羞草研究所淒uring the summer months, this information is also shared by a team of Coastal Stewards. Coastal Stewards were working at Lovekin Rock at the time of the incident actively sharing information about ocean hazards with visitors,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭hrough the CoastSmart program害羞草研究所攄eveloped in collaboration with the Districts of Tofino and Ucluelet害羞草研究所� standardized signs have been installed at key beach access locations throughout the Pacific Rim Region, including Lovekin Rock. There is additional signage at Lovekin Rock related to rip currents as it is a high-risk area.害羞草研究所�
The Park Reserve also launched an Indigenous Junior Guardian program last year that provides safety information to visitors and more information about staying safe around the ocean is available at www.coastsmart.ca as well as the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve害羞草研究所檚 social media channels.
Saxer said surfing is booming in popularity, especially with its arrival as an Olympic sport and that the Park Reserve needs to do more to help keep its growing number of visitors safe.
害羞草研究所淚t needs to change. Knowing the risks, it害羞草研究所檚 hard to allow myself to go back into the water but I can害羞草研究所檛 imagine letting my children eventually go into the water and surf and there being this risk,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭he (Junior Guardians) are doing their very best in terms of educating the population and the National Park has put up signs, but are people really stopping, looking at these, reading the stuff or understanding what is being told to them?害羞草研究所�
She said it害羞草研究所檚 impossible to know whether a lifeguard could have prevented Aug. 7害羞草研究所檚 tragedy, but added that Parks Canada害羞草研究所檚 response that the area is too large to provide Surf Guards misses the mark because the Surf Guard tower that was in place until 2012 overlooked the area of highest concern at Lovekin Rock.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 frustrating. It害羞草研究所檚 very frustrating,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 have done more research on it and the response from Parks Canada is just not acceptable. There needs to be more change and it needs to happen now. If we wait seasons upon seasons for anything to come back or any changes to be made, it害羞草研究所檚 going to be too late. How many more deaths do we need to have before change actually happens?害羞草研究所�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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