They’re the kind of waves that draw a crowd, but even those who live in Ucluelet can be caught off guard by mother nature’s sheer power.
“I thought I was dead immediately,” said Ucluelet resident Kyla Macgregor.
Macgregor was with a friend and her dog, Lucius, Wednesday afternoon at a lookout spot on the Wild Pacific Trail that they’ve been going to every week for years
when a massive wave out of nowhere swept them off their feet.
“It hit the rocks then I was up and swirling around in water above the cliff,” said Macgregor.
The waves kept coming and Kyla smashed her head on a rock before losing consciousness
“I woke up and I saw my friends shoes and part of his vest ripped up on the rock and I was trying to find him,” she said.
“When I did find him he was passed out face down in a tide pool, I thought he was dead.”
“He was in pretty rough shape, he had significant head injuries and had ingested a lot of water as well so there was some grave concern,” said Ucluelet Fire Chief Rick Geddes.
Fire, paramedics, police and search and rescue had been called to the trail after some people hiking nearby heard Lucius barking and Macgregor’s screams for help.
Geddes says Wednesday’s massive rain storm produced some of the biggest swells of the year and he says it’s a reminder to stay away from the water.
READ MORE: Severe thunderstorm warnings and watches in effect for parts of Vancouver Island
“The waves can be very unexpected, especially this time of year as we get into storm season there’s some really big swells that can catch you off guard so that’s why we encourage people not to go down to the rocks at all,” he said.
Macgregor is recovering at home from her injuries including extensive bruising while her friend is in ICU at Victoria General Hospital. She says he is now awake and expected to recover.
April Lawrence
