As the weather warms and lakes around the Okanagan start to get busier with boat traffic, two search and rescue teams will be conducting boat training this weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday (May 31 and June 1), Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) and Vernon Search and Rescue (VSAR) will be on Kalamalka Lake at Alexander鈥檚 Boat Launch (8500 Kalavista Drive) in Coldstream, working on training practices in the same area where past searches have taken place, including Robert Baines, who's been missing for more than a year.
More than a dozen SAR members will be taking part in the training, which includes best practices, underwater search techniques using an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and other marine rescue protocols.
鈥淥kanagan Lake is the deadliest in B.C.,鈥� said COSAR Boat Team Lead Mitch LaRue, noting there have been 29 deaths in the past decade and eight in Kalamalka Lake. According to LaRue, the two lakes combined see approximately four drownings per year.
Training is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
