Search efforts resume to find missing diver in Okanagan Lake

Extensive search efforts are underway to find a missing recreational diver who failed to resurface on Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna on Saturday afternoon.

Emergency crews rushed to Okanagan Lake on the east side of the William Bennett Bridge in response to a 911 call for a report of a possible drowning, at approximately 2:50 p.m. on Saturday.

The 52-year-old man was with a diving group, but failed to resurface and the group was unable to locate him.

Efforts to find the diver on Saturday were unsuccessful.

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The Kelowna fire department, Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR), as well as the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team will resume the search on Sunday.

COSAR search manager Duane Tresnich said members are utilizing underwater sonar in a specific area of the lake.

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“We have a pretty close area around the bridge and that is where we are focusing our searching at the moment,” he said.

Tresnich said lake conditions on Saturday afternoon may have been problematic for diving.

“What we were told yesterday is that there was an unusually strong current that was flowing underneath the bridge,” he said.

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Police are asking the public to provide space and distance on the lake while the search continues.

“Please stay away from the search. We are at the east side, so the small underpass, if they can stay away from the area as we are searching, that would be great,” Tresnich said.