WATCH: A local tour company jumped into action to save a man who had been pulled into the waters off Peggy’s Cove. Julia Wong has their story.
HALIFAX – The crew of a local tour boat company is urging people to stay away from the rough waters of the Atlantic Ocean, a day after they saved the life of a man who had been swept off the rocks at Peggy’s Cove.
Just after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, a 26-year-old man from Mississauga, Ontario slipped and fell into the water.
Peter Richardson, the captain of the Sea Dog IV, said a fellow business owner ran out to his boat to alert him.
“He asked me to start my engines. He thought somebody was overboard,” he said.
“We’ll have to go and rescue this person. That’s the first thing that came into my mind.”
“The mayday came over the radio. My crew was here. Let’s go.”
The crew consisted of Richardson along with crew members Barbara Hannam and Eric Morash. The boat company practice rescue exercises monthly to prepare for such situations.
“He put his hand up to let us know he was ok, that he was alive. He was treading water on his back. When I first saw him, it looked like a garbage bag floating in the water.”
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Richardon said that, at one point, a wave came over the man and he was worried the man would not come back up to the surface. Fortunately he did and the crew threw a life ring out to him.
“He pulled it over his shoulders and they proceeded to drag him to the boat. We were able to grab his shoulders and get him aboard,” he said.
“He was weak. He had taken on a lot of water. He was cold. This water is still cold this time of year and to be in it for 15 minutes was quite a long time,” said Hannam.
“He was calm. He was probably tired. He was beat out,” Morash said.
“It was quick. It was fast. You just went out and thank heavens everything went well.”
The crew said the whole rescue mission took about 15 minutes, starting from leaving the dock to returning to it. They say they don’t know how much longer the man would have lasted in the water.
“He was at the point of hypothermia. I figure seconds,” Richardson said.
“He wasn’t going to be there much longer. He was pretty exhausted when we got there,” Hannam said.
Staying safe
The crew had mixed responses when asked whether there needs to be more signage and more warnings about the danger of black rocks. A day after the near-drowning, many people were still seen standing perilously close to the black rocks.
“Walking out on the black rocks isn’t adventurous. It’s stupid,” said Richardson.
“There’s signs everywhere to stay off the black rocks. Maybe they should have lifeguards here or a whistle to blow at people that are down at the rocks.”
Morash said it boils down to common sense.
“I don’t see anything else that really can be done. Just don’t go too close to the water, like don’t run into a vehicle on the road,” he said.
Hannam said people need to understand the power of the ocean.
“The rocks are slippery. They’re dark. They’re close to the ocean. The ocean’s strong. It’s a dangerous place to be,” she said.
“It’s the water that gets you sometimes. The waves are coming in like that off the rock and it just takes one to come in and take you off balance.”
In April, a 25-year-old Ontario man was swept off the rocks. His body has never been recovered.
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