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[Every Day]

Ok guys. I went tubing again toaday from Osbourne road down to the crossing and what I saw horrified me. As we were coming up on the corner where I KNEW the young girl died on wedenseday, I watched a group of tubers (ON inflatable rafts) go right through the same spot. I lost sight of one of the rafts and on closer inspection a guy on his raft was scrambling to get his friend out of the water. All I could see was his head, and learnt quickly that his legs were trapped below the surface. He was quite big and able to hold himself up until 2 friends got over there, and then another 6 went over to help after that. I quickly made the 911 call (I always carry my cell phone in a water proof case). I took 20 mins from the time I called for search and rescue to get out there, and many times I though the guy was going to die. There was one point where he went under for a good 30 seconds before his next breath. He did live, but when search and rescue got him out (with the help of his 8 friends who had a rope) he was so cold and tired that he couldn't move anything excepct his head. He was taken out in a strecher and had hypothermia.

To give you all an idea of how powerful the river is in this one spot, It took 8 PEOPLE to hold just his head above the water till search and rescue got there. Not only were the people holding him but he also had 1 rope tied around him and an inflatable raft behind him trying to keep him up. I am going again tomorrow and I will take pictures of this area for those of you who are going out. Please be very careful, this young man almost died today. Once again I will say that you CAN see this jam from a good 300 feet away, and for 20 feet before the jam the water is shallow enough (knee deep) for you to stand up. Hopefully search and rescue or the police put a sign up to warn people of the danger here. All of the people in this group were from Vanouver/Burnaby/Richmond and someone told them the river was a safe and fun ride. They knew nothing of the dangers ahead. Hopefully people learn from this.....

[bentrod]

I have seen video of a full size tube being sucked under water.  Think for a moment about what it takes to take one of these under.  This was in only a couple feet of fairly calm water.  I have also seen a girl trapped up against a bridge pier with a canoe wrapped around her and the pier.  It kept her under water for way too long and took a crane to get it off of her.  Obviously some snags, sweepers, etc. are worse than others.  In my younger days, I didn't give these obstacles a second thought.  I now steer well clear of them.  Hopefully, my kids will learn a thing or 2 from my stories and remember them when they're older and out with their buddies having a good time.

[Every Day]

Im going out tomorrow. Cammer his legs were trapped in between 2 different logs that are below the surface forming a "V" shape. Once you're in you cant get out. Here is a breif description of the area. About 1.5-2 km's above the crossing the river splits into a left and right channel. The right channel is very shallow and narrow, to the point you would have to walk to everyone takes the left. The left channel has a big "root ball" right in the middle of the entrance. At this point everyone should start kicking to the edge. Around 300 feet below this is the deadly jam. The river narrows and goes right into it. If you find yourself getting pulled in, BAIL OUT, there is calm water about 2 feet to the left of the jam, it's better to use your tube than your life. Dont be fooled, this channel has more than one deadly spot although no one has died in the second spot yet. The second spot is visible from the crossing and is on a corner. This jam consists of probably 15 - 20 logs and they are spread out. There is no way around this jam, get out and walk, you can see it once again from way upriver. Be smart and use common sense. I would like to see someone put a sign up there warning people, I would hate to come across a body tomorrow    I think tomorrow I am bringing a rope just incase this happens again.

One other note. If you are up there and this happens again. DO NOT go in the water, you'll just get yourself killed. Cross well upstream from the jam and get ontop of the jam. You can reach the water and hold on to the logs while holding the person up, but hang on tight the current is extremely storng in that spot. Like I said it took 8 guys to hold just his head up. If you find yourslef tiring you have to give up, dont let the same jam claim any more lives than it has too, at least you tried that's all you can do.  

One other thing I find intersting, but not surprising about both the incidents. They were both on rubber dingy's (not made for the river at all) first of all because they pop easy and flip easy and many times (like the young girls case) they pile more than one person onto them. They are also VERY hard to manouver. Once again please be careful everyone, I had a very hard time watching this today...

[Every Day]

No the news/ camera crews were not there, but we did get escorted down with a helicopter above us to the crossing bridge    I had to help the guys friends down through the rest of this channel as they had no idea what was ahead and one of them decided not to listen to me and nearly got himself killed in the second jam as well. Luckily he grabbed one of the first logs and bear crawled up it.

[patagonia]

All I can say is that I have been running rivers for the last 15 years in a kayak and have seen people drown in a foot of water trying to stand up in rivers and having their feet become entrapped.... have also seen logs and branches known as strainers claim many lives as well... people need to respect the river and its power and when they dont they get spanked....the river can show you in a second who is in control

[Every Day]

I guess everyone learns from mistakes. I know the first time I ever went out I hit a log jam and I learnt my lesson fast after waking up swirling under a bunch of logs. Me and my friend both got out but he had a broken ankle (got stuck in the root ball, kept pulling till he got loose) and I ended up with a grade 4 concussion and a screwed up neck for the rest of summer. I am glad this guy has the chance to learn from his mistakes also, too bad the girl doesnt have the same opprtunity    My biggest peeve is the amount of people starting in the upper who have never been out before and that don't even live around here. Like I said these people were from Vacouver/Richmond/Burnaby and had been told by someone at Cutlus Lake to try it!    I guess what I am saying is learn your basic skills and your abilities on the lower river (where there arn't too many problem areas) and then upgrade if you feel you can. This river will continue to take lives every year, and I hate to say this but this year is definatley not over yet 

[Fish Assassin]

Global news tonight report a 23 year old Victoria women drowned in the Chilliwack today in a rafting accident.

[Every Day]

Well hear is the answer to your question Spring. I WALK around it. I also know where it is so I can get out way above it if I have people with me so that we are never anywhere close to it. If people would actually get out at the one point where the root ball is in the middle there would be NO PROBLEMS. But the problem is that half these people are drunk and their judgment is totally impaired and the second part is most of them have no idea what is coming up because they come out here from Vancouver and many other places. Good thing I "decided" to go down there today otherwise someone else would have died.

[Coho Cody]

Every Day, your on the river well just about "ever day" it seems. Why dont you put a sign up???

[Every Day]

Kinda hard to carry a sign for an hour down that river on a tube.... I was thinking about putting one up today. If they dont have one up today (I think I'm going again) I might think about doing it because a lot of people are going to die this year if something isnt done about that one spot. Anyone know what area the 21 year old died at yesterday 

[Fish Assassin]

According to the news report it was same area that the 17 year old girl lost her life.

[DionJL]

Everyday I dont get it , someone died there why the hell would you risk your life going the same route No matter how good you really think you are, why keep going down it.... It should be a very valuble lesson to be learnt hear. I just dont understand why someone would keep risking there life

If you wanna go tubing go to the Chilliwack Water slides and go down the tube run till your sick of tubing

Its to late to look back once the **** happens and once you have allready been warned

Dude, Silly logic. Do you drive? You ever driven down a road someone died in a car accident (ie: ever seen a cross on the side of the road)? Why do you keep driving there?

It's impossible to live a life risk free, especially if you want to have a fun life. If your smart about the risks you take you can minimize the trouble you get into.

[Coho Cody]

Everyday I dont get it , someone died there why the hell would you risk your life going the same route No matter how good you really think you are, why keep going down it.... It should be a very valuble lesson to be learnt hear. I just dont understand why someone would keep risking there life

If you wanna go tubing go to the Chilliwack Water slides and go down the tube run till your sick of tubing

Its to late to look back once the **** happens and once you have allready been warned

Dude, Silly logic. Do you drive? You ever driven down a road someone died in a car accident (ie: ever seen a cross on the side of the road)? Why do you keep driving there?

It's impossible to live a life risk free, especially if you want to have a fun life. If your smart about the risks you take you can minimize the trouble you get into.

well said dion.

IMO, the vedder is no place to swim or tube, but I can understand why people swim and tube it. There is a big difference between Cultas Lake waterslides and the river

[Every Day]

According to the news report it was same area that the 17 year old girl lost her life.

Pretty sure I mentioned that in my 1st post.... he was about 20 feet below her flowers    IMO one set of flowers there is more than enough, and hopefully something is done about this spot, maybe put up tape or something to warn people about what is coming next. Thanks for the back up Dion    O and If you are talking about the spot that the 21 year old died on the Vedder she was on a GUIDED tour and still lost her life, so don't assume you are safe just because you are paying money, they make you sign a waiver for a reason    I thought she died farther upriver by tamahi though.... havn't seen the news yet. Once again, just BE CAREFUL. I might head out today and take some pics of the jam, it is about 300 feet (maybe longer) long and like 30 feet wide and who knows how thick as you can't see the bottom of the river in that spot.

[chris gadsden]

River takes another life
Published: August 16, 2008 10:00 PM
Updated: August 16, 2008 11:38 PM A 23-year-old Victoria woman drowned in the Chilliwack River on Saturday, the second victim claimed by the river in the past three days.

"The female was on a guided rafting tour when the raft flipped and she became separated from the raft," Const. Lea-Anne Dunlop said in a news release.

The raft flipped near the Tamihi Bridge at about 5:45 p.m., and the woman was swept away by the river. Her body, trapped under debris, was recovered at about 7:15 p.m.

Police say the woman was wearing proper safety gear when the incident occurred.

No other details were immediately available.

Investigations by the Chilliwack RCMP and the BC Coroners' Office continue.

On Wednesday, a 17-year-old Chilliwack girl tubing down the river near the Vedder Bridge fell into the water and drowned when she became trapped under a log jam.