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Man rescued by coast guard near ferry terminal

Trying to retrieve boat, man gets into trouble in frigid waters
CCGS Moytel from above
The Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft Moytel is pictured in this file photo.

A man is recovering in hospital after a harrowing incident in the frigid waters near the BC Ferries Tsawwassen terminal Sunday night.

Delta Police say they received a call on Sunday night for assistance in relation to a boat that was adrift near the BC Ferries Tsawwassen terminal. 

“The boat has become untethered and was drifting near shore. The owner of the boat believed he could swim to it and safely retrieve it; however, the owner did not consider the impacts of the water's temperature,” Acting Insp. James Sandberg, media spokesperson for Delta Police in an email to the Optimist. “Before the man was able to get to the boat his muscles seized and he was unable to continue to the boat or return to shore.”

Sandberg said the caller notified police when the man was unable to continue to the boat.

“Fortunately, a life-jacket kept him afloat until the arrival of the coast guard who returned the man to shore and re-tethered the boat,” said Sandberg. “The man is recovering from the cold under observation at a local hospital.”