A couple of Capilano River tubers got a condensed course in current affairs Tuesday.
The pair needed to be plucked from a sheer cliff off the river bank Tuesday when their afternoon float down the river sped up unexpectedly.
“There’s a lot of current around there,” District of North Vancouver assistant fire chief Jim Bonneville said. “(Tubing) is not really recommended.”
Firefighters got a 3 p.m. call alerting them to two river-goers grasping a rock. Crews scrambled to the scene to find the tubers stranded but safe on an embankment near a cliff.
Given the geography, firefighters executed a high angle rescue, rigging each tuber in a harness and pulling them out of danger. The man and woman, both in their late 20s, aborted their adventure near the Capilano River Hatchery when they found the lazy river quick and cold.
“They didn’t really want to go any farther,” Bonneville said.
The couple refused medical care and – after crews discussed the prudence of not tubing in the river – went on their way.
As outdoor enthusiasts flock to social media hot spots like Quarry Rock and Lynn Canyon, rescues in Capilano River have become something of a rarity, according to Bonneville. A 2016 article published by online media outlet Narcity touted Capilano River as the best tubing river in B.C. The article warned of bumpy spots and advised tubers to “maybe skip the drink on this one.”
