The BC RCMP have confirmed that a skydiver has died following a Sunday evening jump on Vancouver Island.
On July 5 at around 7 PM, a 34-year old male, who is being described by RCMP as an “experienced parachutist,” miscalculated a landing during an advanced maneuver in the Nanoose Bay area.
According to RCMP, the man immediately succumbed to his injuries on impact with the ground. He was aiming to land in a field in the Arbutus Meadows area when things went wrong.
The man was jumping with a well-known organization, Skydive Vancouver Island.
In a statement from the company’s owner, Gord Gauvin, he said that the parachutist had over 1,000 jumps and was an experienced coach and instructor.
During Sunday’s jump, the diver was attempting an advanced maneuver called ‘swooping.’ Gauvin added the diver had copious amounts of experience completing this high-speed maneuver.
The parachute did open before the skydiver made an impact with the ground.
The identity of the male has not yet been released, however, officials have said he is from Victoria.
RCMP have determined the incident to have no criminal implications, but an investigation is ongoing.
BC Coroners Service, WorkSafeBC and the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association, among other agencies, have been contacted and will be looking into the matter.
“The skydiving community is a small one on Vancouver Island and together we grieve the loss of our friend and brother,” Gauvin added in a statement to CHEK News.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is learned.
Graham Cox
