Why Okanagan Lake has the most drownings in B.C.

There are a lot of contributing factors for the high number of drowning deaths in Okanagan Lake.

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There have been four drownings in the past month in Okanagan Lake, making it the most dangerous lake in the province. A U.S. citizen drowned near West Kelowna while kayaking on June 19, someone was found dead near Poplar Point Drive on June 29, another person was found dead and presumed drowned on July 6 and a 45-year-old man drowned while tubing without a lifejacket on July 11. Okanagan Lake had 33 accidental drowning deaths between 2015 and 2025, or a 3.3 drowning per year average.

The next most lethal lake is Harrison Lake with 12 drownings between 2015 and 2025, according to a BC Coroners Service report. Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Steven Lang said there are a lot of contributing factors for the high number of drowning deaths in Okanagan Lake.

“Okanagan Lake is one of the busiest recreational lakes in B.C.,” he said. He said the geography of the lake means that temperatures and wind can vary leading to cold shock and unexpected conditions. Cpl.

Lang said that people who come to the lake and aren’t familiar with it, whether they are tourists or locals, can run into more trouble since they aren’t educated on safety. “Often they’re taking a rental boat,” he said. “It could be kayaking, paddleboard, swimming, so the conditions do play a factor, but also people’s swimming abilities, their knowledge of the area, familiarity with the boat, and then there’s also distractions, things like alcohol, drugs,” he said.

“If you start to get a mix of those factors that creates a dangerous or unsafe situation.” Alcohol and or drugs are a factor in roughly 40 per cent of accidental drownings in B.C. Cpl. Lang said it’s important to emphasize the importance of sober boat drivers and wearing lifejackets.

West Kelowna RCMP typically does more patrolling on the lake and Kelowna RCMP officers only takes their boat out if there’s a call or a particularly busy day for boating like Canada Day. Cpl. Lang said education does more than enforcement since officers typically just educate boaters on safety.

If they get stopped on the lake they are sent back to shore to fix the violation, like not enough lifejackets on board. “The main thing, and even if the (RCMP) boat is out there doing checks, is education,” he said. As far as why there have been more than the average number drownings this summer already, Cpl.

Lang said there’s no single cause linking them. Kelowna RCMP are holding a national drowning prevention week event at Boyce-Gyro Beach Park Sunday, July 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mothers Against Drunk Driving Central Okanagan organizer Bill Hetland said education events like the one the RCMP are having are important because people are always going to have fun on the lake, but individuals are the only ones who can prevent themselves from getting carried away and being dangerous. “Use common sense and I guess that’s maybe a bit uncommon, but it’s a big lake, lots of people coming, lots of people having fun, but think of people other than yourself sometimes,” he said.

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