The Parksville-Qualicum community is mourning the death of a 17-year-old boy who fell into the water near Little Qualicum Falls on Friday afternoon.
Friends have identified the teen as Lukas Whibley, a recent graduate of Ballenas Secondary School who played football for the Ballenas Whalers and worked at Thrifty Foods.
Aidan Collins was one of many who took to Twitter to express his grief. “Lukas Whibley will be missed by everyone, he was too young. Thoughts and prayers going out to the Whibley family tonight,” he posted.
“My prayers go out to the Whibley family, such bad things happen to good people,” tweeted Erin Pickup.
Emergency crews were called to the river about 2 p.m. Friday after the teenager, who was climbing a rock face near the falls, fell into the water and did not resurface.
Crews searched the area, a steeply sloped canyon with fast-moving water, deep pools and powerful, cascading falls within the Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park.
Arrowsmith Search and Rescue, a volunteer-run search-and-rescue team in the Oceanside area, spent about 11 hours in the park assisting in the search. The group helped three teens, two males and a female, get from a rocky bluff on the falls to safety.
Twenty-five search-and-rescue volunteers, 10 firefighters from Coombs fire department and 10 from Dashwood volunteer fire department assisted.
“We had a rope team in two locations, with a water team snorkelling in the area. That’s how we knew where to direct the RCMP dive team,” said Ken Neden, the Arrowsmith Search and Rescue manager.
Neden said he has seen four fatalities in his 37 years with the team, including one about 10 years ago at the falls.
Search-and-rescue technicians found the boy’s body about 6:15 p.m., said Oceanside RCMP. It was submerged in about 4.6 metres of water in a pool directly below the upper falls.
The RCMP dive team was called for assistance, due to the dangerous water currents. They completed the recovery shortly after 9 p.m.
RCMP Victim Services were on the scene throughout the afternoon and evening to support the boy’s friends and family, who waited on the shore. RCMP officers and B.C. Ambulance paramedics were also present.
Foul play is not suspected. The B.C. Coroners Service is investigating.
