One woman was taken to Vernon Jubilee Hospital following a cliff diving incident at Kalamalka Lake Wednesday.
Vernon Search and Rescue were called by B.C. Ambulance to assist in the rescue of the young woman.
The subject had been cliff diving with her friends near Turtles Head Point in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, and was injured upon hitting the water. Her friends made sure she was safely out of the water, kept her still, and called for help immediately.
“The area was very rocky and the water was not very deep where we located the subject,” said Coralie Nairn, VSAR member and search manager. “We were surprised that people would be diving into the water there.”
B.C. Ambulance attendants and VSAR members deployed to the location using rescue boats.
Once stabilized, the woman was carefully placed onto a stretcher and transported by boat to a waiting ambulance at the Kal Beach boat launch. The subject was then taken to Vernon Jubilee Hospital for further care.
The extremely calm water, correct action of the subject’s friends and favourable weather conditions contributed to the rescue being completed smoothly and quickly.
VSAR said a great resource for outdoor enthusiasts is AdventureSmart, which reminds people that cliff jumping is inherently dangerous (https://www.adventuresmart.ca/water/cliffjumping.htm) due to:
• Unknown objects lurking below the surface of the water;
• Ever-changing water conditions and depths; and
• Slippery conditions climbing to the diving point.
Every year there are injuries from cliff diving in the area and in a number of unfortunate cases, have proven fatal.
Search and rescue crews encourage all people to be cautious when diving into any body of water, to prepare themselves for emergencies by taking first aid training, and to enjoy the lakes safely.