More tragedy on the water

TORONTO, Ont. – Four more people have drowned or are presumed drowned in area lakes, including two teenage girls who fell out of a dinghy on Musselman Lake.

The bodies of the teenage girls were found at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Mark was one of several residents who helped with the search and spent hours diving through the murky water. He found the girls’ flip-flops and their dinghy on opposite sides of the lake.

One of the girls was visiting her father and brought her friend along with her. The father didn’t know his daughter and her friend were missing until he came down to the lake and saw the police activity.

Also, police have recovered the body of 13-year-old girl who went missing in Lake Ontario off Van Wagners Beach near Hamilton.

Hamilton Police said she dove off a temporary dock while on an outing with friends Tuesday night.

The water was choppy at the time, and the girl has been described as a non-swimmer.

In light of these incidents, the Lifesaving Society of Ontario is reminding people that drownings are preventable not only by wearing life jackets, but also by making sure children take swimming lessons.

Teens are the target of the “Swim to Survive” program. On Wednesday, the society spoke at Downsview Secondary School to try and teach those between the age of seven and 14 essential skills, such as treading water for at least one minute and swimming 50 metres.

“I think it’s a combination of things,” the society’s Barbara Byers told 680News. “I think learning to swim, learning basic swimming survival skills, will help you if you get over your head, if you’re in shallow water that becomes a drop off area, or if you fall out of a boat and you don’t have a life jacket on.”

The society, which will appear at other area schools throughout the month of July, is also renewing calls to have lifeguards staff provincial beaches.

“The safest place to go swimming is where a lifeguard is working, because in addition to being there to save you if you get into difficulty,” said Byers.
 
“If they see people going out far, and they’re not strong swimmers, they’ll pull them in. If they see parents having a nap on a towel while their child is in the water, they’ll tell them to watch them. If there’s a rip tide or there’s a current, they’ll direct people back,” she added. “A big part of what they do is prevention.”

York Regional Police Constable Rebecca Boyd said being water smart means “being aware of the changing weather conditions and familiarizing yourself with the terrain, knowing whether or not the water you’re going into is deep, shallow, rocky, weedy – that sort of thing.”

“Drownings can be avoided, if we take the proper states, and you follow the rules,” she added. “If you’re not a good swimmer, don’t go in the water – that’s all there is to it, right? Or don’t go in water that’s deep, so that’s something to keep in mind.”

Boyd said the extreme heat is encouraging larger crowds at beaches and pools.

“We’re going to see more people go in the water, we’re going to see people trying to cool off that way, and we’re encouraging those people to take the proper and necessary steps to ensure that they’re safe in the water.”

A total of 19 people died in private pools in 2010, according to The Lifesaving Society, as opposed to three so far this year. The society is hoping their message is getting out.  

Meanwhile, police and private divers are also looking for 55-year-old Toronto investment dealer last seen Monday on Lake Joseph, near Parry Sound.

Ontario Provincial Police officers said Bradley David Griffiths, co-founder of GMP Capital, was seen in distress in the water around 12 p.m., and a motor boat was seen operating without a driver.

Police believe he was not wearing a life jacket when he went under the water.