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I almost lost my life that day doing something I have always done. I became an example of how things can go wrong in a hurry, even when you have the experience.

My son Blake and I love to kayak on the river.  It is one of our favourite things to do.  For Father’s Day, he asked me if I either wanted to go for a bike ride or a kayak.  I chose kayak and we loaded them up in his truck.

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He drove us to the river on what began as a beautiful, sunny day. We parked, launched, and headed out towards the Broadway and University Bridges.  Blake mentioned to me how quick the current was and that the trip back was going to be a little tough. He had no idea how he was foreshadowing the next few hours for himself.

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We have a usual route that goes under the bridges, weaving all over the water. We traditionally paddle just beyond the riverboat, up to the safety wire that is there to remind/warn people that the Weir is coming up and you should not cross.  We hang out on the wire for a little while before paddling back. It is generally relaxing, and we can enjoy the scenery while getting in a good workout.

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On this day, as we got closer, we saw a tree sticking out of the water near the wire.  Blake said, “it looks like dinosaur bones, we should check it out”.  We paddled over and once we were almost upon it, my kayak was pulled forward and the nose hit one of the buoy’s, forcing me to go sideways into the wire.  My kayak went under and the wire caught me in the side, knocking me out of the boat.  I grabbed onto the wire, and watched my kayak and sandals float downstream.  For a moment, we both laughed, like guys will do, because I was dumped into the water. The funny moment ended quickly when I realized how much trouble I was in.

I hung onto the wire, with half my body out of the water, kind of like we do at the top of a muscle-up and tried to think.  I asked Blake if he was ok and he said yes and when he asked me if I was okay, I told him no. It is not in a father’s nature to admit weakness in front of their children, but this situation needed my ego put aside.  My first instinct was to ask him to call 911, but the stupid man part of my brain did not want to be rescued on the water and be “one of those guys”.  Then it hit me how cold I was and that my hands would not be able to hold on much longer.  I told Blake I had to move.

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Looking towards shore as I was starting off, the problem was this size of the buoys.  I needed to figure out how to get over them.  I first attempted an American Ninja Warrior move to try and jump over them, but they were too slimy, and I would surely not hold on.  I then realized that I could get under them, pulling myself with one hand under the water to grab onto the other side.  This was the most difficult part, because while I needed to make sure my grip was tight on one end before letting go of the other side, I could barely reach to make this happen. 

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At this point Blake was in a safe area, watching it all.  Once I start pulling myself under and along each buoy, I told Blake that I was good and he should head back to get his truck, so he could pick me up at the University.  I told him to go because I did not think I was going to make it.  I told him to paddle back to his truck because I did not want him to see his father die, but he refused to leave me. He knew it, even if I didn’t! I saw him across the water, and I knew I could not let him down.

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