Heading into the busy August long weekend in Banff National Park, public safety officials with the federal agency want to remind visitors and residents to use safe boating practices on the Bow River.
Brian Webster, visitor safety manager, said a number of incidents in July saw people capsize their boats on the fast moving river and become stranded on mid-stream islands before requiring rescue.
“We also had one very serious close call where a canoeist ran into a log jam below Banff,” Webster said. “They ended up losing their boat and were pinned against the log jam for a period of time, including getting partially submerged.
“Fortunately, they were able to get themselves off the log jam, but they still needed a rescue as they lost their boat and were stranded. This couple were very shaken up by the close call, but were otherwise unhurt.”
In addition to the hazard log jams provide on the river, sweepers, which are overhanging trees on the edge of the river, and cold water temperatures, also pose a threat to those recreating on the waterway.
“Just physically being in the water, if you don’t have a wet suit or a dry suit on, it is very cold water,” he said. “It is glacier-fed water and you become non functional after a couple minutes of being in the water. So if you end up bobbing downstream, after a couple of minutes you have limited ability to swim or do anything.
“With respect to log jams … unless you are actually paddling or navigating to avoid log jams, the current will often push you into them and then you have the current pushing against you and you are between the current and the log jam and you can get pinned there. Often it is very difficult to get off the log jam once you become pinned.”
Webster said anyone going out on the Bow River should be aware of the hazards that exist and have the skill set to mitigate them.
“Log jams and sweepers are a natural part of the river environment and they are hazards experienced canoeists or river users are aware of and they know how to safely mitigate that hazard,” he said.
He said everyone on the river should also be wearing a life jacket and educate themselves with as much knowledge about the river as possible. On the Banff National Park website (www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/index.aspx) under activities, Webster said there is detailed information about canoeing the Bow River, including popular sections of the river and hazards.
Another issue Parks safety staff are encountering on the river, Webster added, are people floating down the waterway on inflatable rubber boats.
“They are essentially in glorified kids toys and we discourage that 100 per cent. Those blow up inflatable kids toys are not designed to be used on the river,” he said.
“It is understandable why people want to do that because it is a hot day and it is nice to be on the water, but what we encourage people to do, rather than take these blow up toys and going on the river, is going to a place like Cascade Ponds or Johnson’s Lake where you don’t have the risks associated with a moving river.”
