RCMP say a West Kelowna man is “lucky to be alive” after he was flung from his cabin-cruiser boat into Okanagan Lake just before it crashed into a cliff edge.
It was reports of the boat hitting the shoreline at a high rate of speed that brought first responders to the Peachland foreshore near Seclusion Bay late Sunday afternoon.
Police say the 35-year-old fell off the boat in rough waters and it kept going.
“He was wearing a personal floatation device, which even in the cold waters, assisted him in being able to safely swim to the shore,” said RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey in a news release.
“Once he reached the shores of Okanagan Lake, he was able to call 911 for assistance using his cellular device which he reportedly kept in a water tight case in his pocket.”
The man was treated in hospital for slight hypothermia.
O’Donaghey says the hull of the 29-foot-boat sustained massive damage.