‘Guys were crying out there,’ angler recalls, after 23 people plucked from ice near Owen Sound

Playing null of undefined

Anglers rescued by helicopter from unstable Georgian Bay ice

RAW: Georgian Bay rescue

RAW: Hear from two men trapped on Georgian Bay

23 people rescued after ice shelf separates from shore in Southwestern Ontario

“The water is opening up, the ice is opening,” were the words an out of breath Kevin Fox was screaming as he was literally running for his life Sunday afternoon off the shores of Owen Sound, Ont.

“It was real stressful. Like, guys were crying out there. They were calling loved ones, saying goodbye. It wasn’t good,” says Fox, who is an ice fisherman, from the Penetanguishene area.

Fox was one of 23 anglers plucked from the ice and waters of Georgian Bay on Sunday, after a seven-kilometre wide chunk of lake ice broke away from shore near Balmy Beach.

“By the time Kevin let me know that there was water behind me, it was maybe two feet wide. By the time I grabbed my stuff and go and run to it, it was the size of a football field. It was just opening so fast, there was nothing we could do about it,” says Alfie How, who was one of the 23 anglers caught on the ice.

• PHOTO GALLERY: 23 people saved from ice in Georgian Bay

“As we got close to the shore, we realized it had pulled off of that shore. So, then we had to run along the crack to the other side, and it had separated from there. So, at that point we knew, okay, we’re stuck on this big chunk of ice,” says Fox.

‘This is the end right here’

Fox says he wasn’t too worried yet, but as the waves and winds picked up, the seven-kilometre wide chunk of ice they were stuck on was whittled down to less than one kilometre in size.

Calls to 911 had already been made by the anglers, but they were hearing back that the changing conditions meant the Coast Guard boat couldn’t reach them, and neither could the OPP helicopter.

“We got the phone call saying that it was too windy for helicopters and they couldn’t get the boats out. I pretty much just started counting my blessings and said to myself, like, this is the end right here,” says How, who is from Haliburton County.

“Guys were calling their wives and kids and stuff,” he said.

“I didn’t want to do that, because it almost seemed like bad karma to me, so I kept hoping for the best, but at the same time, I pretty much put it in my head that we were done.”

Rescue helicopter arrives

But despair turned to relief in a matter of minutes as the first OPP and Ornge helicopter flew overhead, plucking five anglers who had fallen through the ice from the frigid waters of Georgian Bay.

Fox says the remaining 18 anglers were congregated on the biggest chunk of ice, and were picked up three at a time and flown to solid ground.

“Honestly, seeing those chopper guys arrive there, and getting on that chopper, and getting airlifted out, I couldn’t have been more thankful. I couldn’t even explain to them how thankful I was for that,” says Fox.

In retrospect, both How and Fox admit maybe they shouldn’t have been out on the ice on Sunday, but they say many factors led to them venturing out onto Georgian Bay.

“We drove two and a half hours to go ice fishing, you know what I mean? So, like I say, it’s kind of stupid, I’ll admit that. I think we took a little more chances because we’re traveling farther, because you’re like, I don’t want to waste five hours of driving for nothing,” says Fox, who drove from his Penetanguishene home to fish near Owen Sound.

‘They’re used to big water, sketchy ice’

“Most of the guys that were out there were very experienced ice fishermen, like, have fished ice their whole lives. They’re used to big water, sketchy ice. There was two feet of ice out there. It wasn’t like people were walking on unsafe ice. There was lots of ice,” said How, who drove from Haliburton County to Owen Sound to ice fish on Sunday.

“It’s just the winds change. There were supposed to be southwest winds. They ended up being straight south winds and it just opened up too fast,” he said.

“I had my GPS with me, we floated 9.3 kilometres from where we were fishing, to where we actually got rescued. And the last group that got rescued were probably close to about 10 or 11 kilometres.”

Fox, How, and all 23 anglers saved from Georgian Bay on Sunday, know they owe their lives to the long list of emergency responders including OPP Aviation, OPP Marine Unit, Inter Township Fire Department, Owen Sound Fire Department, Hanover Fire Department, North Bruce Peninsula Fire Department, AirOrnge, Grey County Paramedic Services, Bruce County Paramedic Services, Ministry of Natural Resources, Grey-Bruce OPP, the Wellington County OPP, and Cobble Beach Golf Course, who opened the facility for aviation units and triage response.

Community comes together

“Everybody was so amazing. Like, it was really incredible to see the municipality come together like that,” said Fox.

“Like when we got airlifted there, there was EMS on site in a building in case other people were in the water, you know, they were ready to go. They’re taking our temps, blood pressures. We were all good, but, you know, they were prepared for the worst,” he added.

“Pretty much everybody thought that we were done for. And, if it wasn’t for those guys on the rescue team and the equipment they have, there would there would have been a lot of floating bodies yesterday,” said How.

‘Use common sense’

In a video posted to social media on Monday, OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk scolded the 23 rescued individuals for putting their lives and the lives of others unnecessarily at risk.

“Is ice fishing on a warm day worth risking your life and the lives of others?” he asked.

Two OPP helicopters were deployed to rescue the anglers, and a photo shared by OPP depicts how fragile the ice conditions were at the time of rescue.

“The OPP extends its sincere appreciation to all first responders involved in this complex rescue operation, including local fire services, paramedic services, Air Ornge, Ministry of Natural Resources and Victim Services,” Sanchuk said. “Their cooperation, swift response and coordinated efforts played a critical role in ensuring that everyone was brought to safety without serious injury.”

Sanchuk went on to thank the OPP helicopter pilots for their skill and quick actions which were paramount in preventing “23 tragedies.”

OPP are once again reminding the public to exercise caution and stay off unsafe ice, as conditions on Georgian Bay and area lakes can change rapidly and without warning. If disaster arises, Sanchuk says not only are the lives of the people on the ice at risk, but so are first responders who are forced into “dangerous” and “preventable” rescue situations.

“No fish is worth your life of the lives of people who have to rescue you,” he said. “Members of the public are urged to use common sense.”

Sanchuk says members of the public should stay informed about current weather conditions, and not to venture onto unstable ice if conditions appear questionable.

“It’s not that complicated,” he said. “Do not go out.”

With files from CTV News London’s Ashley Hyshka