Search for man who didn’t resurface on Okanagan Lake continues Sunday – Kelowna News

Madison Erhardt

UPDATE: 5:05 p.m.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue tell Castanet the search has been paused.

Castanet has reached out to the Kelowna RCMP for more details.

UPDATE: 4:15 p.m.

The search continues for a missing man who fell into Okanagan Lake Friday and did not resurface.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue say the man entered the water off a pontoon boat just after 5 p.m. in the McKinley Landing area.

COSAR has spent the last three days searching the water and the nearby shore but has yet to find the man.

“We squared off some grid areas last night and we are searching those at the moment and everything seems to be going the way it should be,” said COSAR manager Duane Tresnich.

COSAR members are using an underwater camera and sonar to search the lake floor.

“The way that we are using it the waves and the wind are not moving it as much as it has in the past,” Tresnich added.

The individual could be the 10th person to have drowned this summer in the Thompson Okanagan.

“The amount of drownings this summer has been quite high, unusually high I would say and so it is very concerning to us because we are the ones coming out and assiting the RCMP in recovering these individuals.”

The missing man is a tourist who was visiting the area.

COSAR currently has 12 members assisting in the search.

“You will notice that our search boat has a flashing blue light, an emergency light so we are asking people when they see that to please stay away from our boat or the RCMP or the fire boats because they all have one of those,” Tresnich added.

COSAR is also reminding the public to swim and boat responsibly and to wear a life jacket at all times.

ORIGINAL: 9:30 a.m.

Rescue crews are back out on Okanagan Lake Sunday morning to resume the search for a missing man near the McKinley Landing area.

A man entered the water off a boat Friday at about 5 p.m. and never resurfaced, prompting the search.

RCMP and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue volunteers spent all day Saturday scouring the lake off Dewdney Road, with no success.

COSAR has been using an underwater camera and sonar to search the lake floor.

Crews are now back on the water Sunday morning.