Recovery efforts underway after boater goes missing on Alberta’s Spray Lakes Reservoir

Loved ones of a man who went into the water at Spray Lakes Reservoir on Sunday evening arrived at the scene Monday afternoon.

Recovery efforts are underway to locate the body of the man who RCMP presume drowned in the water.

Some details about the incident are still not known, however, it’s believed the man was out on the water in a small boat, according to an eyewitness that Global News spoke to.

The witness said she saw the man’s dog go overboard. She said the owner then went into the water after it.

The area is remote and has no phone service but the witness was carrying a satellite phone and said she was able to call for help.

A Tuesday morning release said at around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Canmore RCMP received a call for a report of drowning in the provincial park.

1:01 Officials search Spray Lakes Reservoir to recover man presumed drowned

Kananaskis Emergency Services, Alberta Conservation Officers, Canmore Fire Rescue, Alberta Fish and Wildlife Officer and the RCMP responded to the area to search for the drowning victims.

The RCMP said search and rescue efforts began on Sunday, but on Monday, those efforts were refocused to one of recovery.

Early Monday afternoon, a Global News crew at the scene saw a member of the recovery team pilot the man’s small boat — which was unattended on the water — back to shore.

RCMP are asking members of the public to avoid the south end of Spray Lakes while search efforts, which include the Central Alberta Rescue Diving Society (CARDS), continue.

Spray Lakes Reservoir is located about 35 kilometres south of Canmore.

— With files from Elissa Carpenter and Adam Toy, Global News