Mounties say they’ve heard from the owner of a kayak found overturned in the Nanaimo River Tuesday, a discovery that sparked a search effort for an occupant.
Police issued a news release a day earlier saying the kayak was found near some logs in the river on Tuesday without an occupant inside.
First responders searched the shoreline and a fire boat searched the water for any signs of the kayaker.
After the discovery of the kayak was picked up by local news stations, its owner came forward to police to share her story.
Allison Wasserman said she and her family set out for a kayak around noon Sunday but she ran into trouble, resulting in her being flipped out of her kayak.
She suffered some cuts and bruises but managed to make it out of the water, but because of the fast current, the kayak became stuck under some log booms.
Wasserman decided to leave the kayak in place and return on Wednesday, when water levels were expected to fall, to retrieve it — but RCMP found it first.
“I realize now that I should have reported it but with everything happening it just slipped my mind. I would though like to extend a heartfelt thank you and a sincere apology to all of the first responders who attended. I have learned a valuable lesson,” she said.
“I am so embarrassed but yet extremely grateful to know that there are so many first responders who are trained and ready to respond to these kinds of situations.”
Wasserman was set to pick up the found kayak from the Nanaimo RCMP detachment Thursday night, police said.
RCMP said the Nanaimo River has been running faster than normal with all of the rain received recently.
CHEK News
