It’s the first tragedy of the year in Lynn Canyon.
A teenager from Coquitlam is missing and presumed drowned after he slipped under the cold, swirling water Monday afternoon.
Rescuers from across the North Shore raced to the canyon around 4:30 p.m. Monday when witnesses first reported a person in distress just north of the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.
“In spite of people warning him not to climb over there, he was going there to cliff jump. We’re not exactly sure what happened – whether he slipped or he chose a bad spot to jump,” said Sgt. Doug Trousdell, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman. “He ended up on the cliff face, hanging there above the pool.”
According to police, the 18-year-old clung to a rock for about 30 minutes, before apparently giving in to fatigue and slipping under the water, never resurfacing. Rescuers were in the process of trying to lower an inflatable to him.
“(The water) is high and getting higher because of the rain over the weekend and then warm temperatures (bringing) lots of snow melt. It’s really, really treacherous,” Trousdell said.
The RCMP called in its dive team for the recovery but suspended the search overnight. After an-other attempt Tuesday morning, dangerous waters forced officers to suspend the search.
“After conducting an assessment, it was determined that current water levels are too high to safely conduct a recovery at this time. Water levels will continue to be monitored and a recovery will be attempted once water levels permit it,” said North Vancouver RCMP Sgt. Doug Brecknell. “The Lower Mainland District urban patrol helicopter and the North Vancouver police boat will continue to monitor the creek beds and Burrard Inlet in an effort to locate the man.”
Friends on social media have identified the victim as Coquitlam’s Cole Marsh, a Terry Fox secondary student and talented lacrosse player.
The popularity of cliff jumping in the park has grown in recent years due to posts spread on social media.
In 2015, park rangers reported 13,049 cliff jumpers compared to 8,861 in 2011.
Visitors to the canyon were drowning at a rate of more than one per year up until 1993 when the district employed seasonal park rangers, in part, to warn about the dangers of cliff jumping.
The death rate decreased dramatically.
In September 2015 after an international student from Pakistan drowned when he jumped into 90-foot pool and was caught in an underwater eddy.
The ranger program, however, does not staff up until May.
District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton said his thoughts are with the teen’s family.
“These are always tough for the entire community and for a lot of our rescue guys who are involved. It’s a heck of a way to start the spring season,” he said. “There’s signage everywhere. It’s just very frustrating for everyone.”
Marsh’s coach Brent Hoskins, who also coaches the SFU men's lacrosse team, said he'd been talking to Marsh about his post-secondary options and how he could continue to play locally.
"What stands out to me the most about Cole was just how genuine he was, both as a person as well as an athlete," Hoskins said. "He was always that type of player who would shake your hand at the end of every practice, he'd ask you questions about anything he could improve on or work towards."
Hoskins said Marsh was well known in the lacrosse community and any time a group of young athletes wanted to get together after school or on weekends for a friendly game, Marsh was the first goalie called if "you needed someone between the pipes."
"As an athlete, he made an impact on our program and we'll definitely be looking to continue his legacy any way we can," Hoskins added. "Right now, our focus is on the teammates and the coaches he's left behind."
With files from Sarah Payne, Tri-City News.
