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American boat strikes reef, sinks near Oak Bay

Two people rescued from boat headed for Orca Island
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Crews rescued two Americans travelling on this boat to Orca Island. It was starting to sink after it had hit a reef (Kevin Menz/News Staff)

A father and son found themselves stranded near Oak Bay after hitting a reef with their boat.

Neither the 71-year-old father John Dann nor his 30-year-old son Chris Dann, who hails from San Francisco, suffered injuries, according to authorities, who have ruled out alcohol.

The duo were travelling to the father’s home on Orca Island in the United States Wednesday morning after spending a few days in Victoria when their boat hit a reef.

The vessel struck rocks near Mouat Reef, according to the Canadian Coast Guard, and started to sink.

“It really jolted the boat at first,” said Chris Dunn. “We weren’t sure if we were taking on water or not, but within a few minutes it was starting to fill up with water.”

Three coast guard boats and a boat from the nearby Oak Bay marina responded to the call, which authorities received at around 9 a.m.

The Dunns were thankful for the quick response by the Coast Guard.

“It was a little bit scary — especially when we saw the water coming on the boat,” said Chris Dunn. “[But] the coast guard responded really quickly. We were impressed by that. [It] was there within five or six minutes, helping us. They helped us pump water out of the boat and gave us a tow to the beach.”

READ ALSO: Crews rescue man after his canoe capsized in Active Pass

Crews beached the boat near the Oak Bay Marina.

Black Press Media has contacted the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue Station 33 Oak Bay Sea Rescue for additional info and will update this story.


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Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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