Nine people were rescued off of the west side of Valdes Island Saturday night after the 21-foot boat they were on struck something in the water and sank.

Jeff Olsson, with the joint rescue co-ordination centre in Victoria said a man aboard the boat used his cellphone to make a mayday call around 7 p.m. Saturday.

"He told us there were seven adults and two children on the boat, that the boat was taking on water and that he thought the boat had struck a rock."

The co-ordination centre sent auxiliary coast guard crews from Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Saltspring Island to help but a boat from Big Island Inflatables arrived before the auxiliary coast guard crews and was able to rescue the nine people by getting them out of the water," said Olsson. He doesn't believe the boat hit a rock.

"When I look at the charts, I don't see any known hazards like rocks in the area next to Valdes that the boat went down in so we suspect the boat may have been damaged after hitting a dead-head."

Shortly after the initial mayday call, the man called again told officials that the boat had sunk and that all nine people from the boat were hanging onto life rings.

"The vessel from Big Island Inflatables showed up at that time and helped fish them out of the water," said Olsson. "Then the Coast Guard hovercraft arrived and transported all nine to Gabriola Island."

He said one of the people aboard the boat suffered very minor hypothermia.

"There's no record of B.C. Ambulance attending so I don't think it was very serious."

Olsson said officials with the Victoria Rescue Co-ordination Centre tried to get in touch with people from Nanaimo's Big Island Inflatables to thank them for their intervention.

"We'd like to express our appreciation to them," said Olsson.

"I understand they were at Silva Bay near Gabriola when they heard the mayday."

Olsson said the boat from Big Island Inflatables was one of three boats that showed up to help out in the emergency.

WCordery@nanaimodailynews.com