A man was plucked from the water off Gabriola Island Sunday after someone heard his calls for help.
The man, approximately 60-70 years old, was found clinging to his boat in the Descanso Bay, on the west side of the Island near the ferry terminal.
He was paddling his canoe out to his boat when the canoe capsized, said Jeff Olsson, marine search co-ordinator for the Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
The distressed man was clinging to his boat for about 30 minutes before help arrived.
A man walking in the area at about 5 p.m. heard someone calling from the water and called emergency services.
Hes very fortunate the dude heard him or he would have been in dire straits, Olsson said. Today the water is 8 C, roughly the same as the air.
The B.C. ferry Quinsam launched a rescue boat and the Nanaimo Harbour Authority attended. B.C. Ambulance and the RCMP were waiting on Gabriola Island as part of the rescue effort.
