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This happened yesterday at Tree Island (Close to Comox)... perhaps someone from Down Island????

 

442 Squadron Races Against Tide To Aid Stranded Hikers

 

19 WING COMOX - Thanks to some quick action by 442 Squadron crews this afternoon, a pair of hikers are safely drying out tonight after getting caught by the tide near Denman Island.

 

The pair were walking on Tree Island at the time. A sand bridge joins the small island to the much larger Denman Island at low tide. They were returning to Denman when they found themselves in water up to their knees. Ahead of them suddenly lay a larger, much deeper expanse of water. The men were trapped.

 

One of the pair used his cell phone to call for help. Victoria's Rescue Coordination Centre alerted local Coast Guard units, which issued an emergency broadcast. Fortunately a Buffalo aircraft was overhead its home base at 19 Wing Comox at the time, just a few kilometres from the scene.

 

"We heard the call and broke off our training right away," said Buffalo pilot Capt. Darren Leaker. "We were there in two minutes."

 

After banking over the two men, the Buffalo crew dropped a smoke canister in the water, marking the scene for a zodiac from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans that was also responding to the call.

 

At the same time, an airborne Cormorant helicopter, also from 442 Squadron, landed at Comox briefly to pick up a pair of search and rescue technicians. With its SARTechs aboard, the Cormorant flew to the scene, guided by the Buffalo's smoke.

 

"We were ready to hoist the pair aboard, but the zodiac was quite close and was in a better position to make the rescue, so we stood off and let them get to work," said Cormorant pilot Capt. Dave Stelfox. "It's great to do a mission, but if there's a better way available, then common sense rules the day."

 

At first, shallow water prevented the zodiac from reaching the pair. Using his vantage point above the action, Stelfox guided the craft via his radio, threading it through treacherous shoals. In minutes, Fisheries Officers retrieved the men, bringing them back to shore.

 

"I think they were pretty glad to see us," Leaker said. "The water is quite cold this time of the year, and they weren't dressed for a swim."...

 

I'm glad to see that they were ok...

P.S. That is the Sqn I Fly with

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quote:
Originally posted by eroyd:

Nice photo, you can clearly see they're carrying Garmins, or is that just one of those Cormorant "extra parts", falling off.

 

I never go anywhere without my inflatable water walkers.


 

I admit it. I have a Garmin. In my defence, I asked Cache Claus for a Magellan Meridian Platinum (go big or go home, I figure), though, so it can't be me. Or can it?

 

I never go anywhere without my inflatable water wings. icon_cool.gif

icon_geocachingwa.gif

How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of tupperware?

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Ah you're the guy icon_eek.gif I used to enjoy dragging the flight crews around in their harnesses and then cutting them free to drift in their survival rafts, especially when it was rough out. And if it wasn't rough the Black Duck would make high speed passes to stir things up.

 

My favourite was doing the winch exercises with the SARTechs - steaming head to wind with the Labrador hovering about 40 feet up flying backwards.

 

Keep up the good work up there!!

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quote:
Originally posted by ZoomZoom:

Sounds like Peregrine to me. I hear he likes to swim in the ocean alot. icon_razz.gif


 

Nope, 'fraid not, ZoomZoom. I was out paddling with Dagg in the fog. That was kinda freaky though, not knowing which was is which! Pretty easy to get turned around - but we were prepared (as we usually are). :-D

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