Capsized kayaker rescued by civilian and Canadian Coast Guard

Horsey Bay was the site of a dramatic rescue Sunday afternoon when high waves overturned a kayak, spilling the paddler into Lake Ontario.

On July 30, 2023, a male kayaker was about 300 metres offshore near the Lakeland Acres neighbourhood of Kingston when his kayak capsized, leaving him stranded in the water, battling the high surf.

 The male was accompanied by a female on a paddle board, however she didn’t observe the incident initially as she was also dealing with high waves.  

Shortly after 1:30 p.m. Kingston Fire & Rescue and the Canadian Coast Guard responded to the report of a person in Lake Ontario off Old Front Road at Bayridge Drive in distress.

Luckily, an area resident used their own kayak to assist the person in the water until the Coast Guard arrived, rescuing the victim from the water.

Kingston’s Marine Unit was stood down by Coast Guard once the victim was safely on board their vessel. Firefighters on shore checked all three people involved and cleared them of any injuries, according to the local fire department.

A statement by Kingston Fire & Rescue thanked the Coast Guard and the area resident for their participation in the water rescue, and reminded all residents to ensure they have proper boating safety equipment on hand at all times and to be prepared for changing weather conditions.  

This was one of many water rescues of late in the Kingston Frontenac Lennox & Addington region, including another that occurred in Kingston over the past weekend. Frontenac OPP announced two fatalities in the past week that occurred in two separate incidents on the waters one on Brule Lake and another on Little Cranberry Lake.