Timeline in capsizing of whale-watching boat off Tofino, B.C.

By The Canadian Press

VICTORIA – Six people died when the whale-watching boat Leviathan II capsized just west of Tofino, B.C. Here is a timeline of events:

Oct. 25, 2015: Leviathan II left Tofino at 1:30 p.m. on a whale watching tour, with 24 passengers and three crew members on board. Around 3:45 p.m., the vessel capsized, sending everyone on board into the water.

Oct. 27, 2015: Marc Andre Poisson of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the initial on site investigation finds most of the passengers and crew were on one side of the top deck when wave approached the vessel from the opposite side. He said that would have raised the centre of gravity, affecting vessel stability. Poisson said the vessel tilted up, rolled and capsized. One life raft was deployed and activated; two hand flares and one parachute rocket were fired.

Nov. 23, 2015: Survivor Dwayne Mazereeuw of Calgary says he was on board the Leviathan II with his wife Elisa when a giant wave hit the boat and tossed them and 25 others into the rolling waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island.

April 1, 2016: Survivors Christian and Dirk Barchfeld of Germany file a proposed class-action lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court alleging negligence and citing physical and psychological trauma following their ordeal. The suit names whale boat operators, Jamie’s Whaling Station; owner Jamie Bray and ship captain Wayne Dolby.

April 25, 2016: Five civil actions involving 34 surviving family members and loved ones are filed in Federal Court of Canada in Vancouver claiming personal injury and loss of life.

May 9, 2016: Court documents filed by Bray in response to the proposed class-action lawsuit say Jamie’s Whaling Station was complying with Transport Canada regulations when the vessel capsized. The documents say the tragedy was an “act of God” arising from unforeseeable ocean conditions.

Aug. 12, 2016: Premier Christy Clark awards the communities of Tofino and Ahousaht with medals of good citizenship for their response to the Leviathan II sinking.

Oct. 24, 2016: A groundbreaking ceremony to build a new skate park, aided by fundraising efforts from Leviathan II survivors, is scheduled at the village of Ahousaht.

Oct. 25, 2016: The District of Tofino is set to unveil a plaque honouring the memory of the Leviathan II victims at the community dock.

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