Campers at the Pachena Bay campground recently got a harsh lesson in how quickly the tide can change when they were stranded on the other side of the rising river.
On Aug. 17 during low tide the campers walked across the Pachena River, which runs from Panchena Bay and by the Huu-ay-aht village of Anacla. But as night fell Huu-ay-aht member Stella Peters said it became apparent an emergency was unfolding, as they hadn’t crossed back to the campground side of the river. The tide was rising, making the river too deep to cross.
At 10:23 p.m. the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria received a call from others in the campground about three people stranded on the other side of the river.
“The stranded campers were able to notify other campers who called JRCC,” said Kelly Stark, a communications officer from Marine Forces Pacific, in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.
By 11:36 p.m. that night a Canadian Coast Guard vessel reached the stranded trio, one of whom had minor injuries, according to reports from the scene.
The vessel was unable to drop them off at Pachena Bay’s shallow beach, so they were transported to Bamfield, where a Canadian Coast Guard truck was able to return them to the campground, according to Stark.