A group of canoeists were running the class 3 « runout » section of the class 5 run on the Du Nords river, about 30min NW of Montreal. They were all in canoes except the “guide” an experienced woman with 40 years paddling.
She drifted ahead of the group by about 2 small rapids, flipped and swam (don’t know why). Rather than swimming for shore she let herself drift down to the bottom of the rapid. In this rapid is a partially submerged tree (been there for 10 years or more- we just boof it). She got pinned on the tree and drowned.
By the time the group go to her it was already too late. She didn’t have a rescue belt on her pfd making extraction harder for the group. If she’s been alive this could have delayed a rescue as well.
This is where is happened: 45°59'33.5"N 74°07'57.2"W
Around 3 p.m. Saturday, emergency services were called to intervene on the Rivière du Nord in Saint-Adèle concerning a person in distress.
A group of six experienced kayakers had gathered to paddle down the river. While crossing the rapids, a 58-year-old woman's boat capsized, and she was trapped underwater despite wearing her life jacket, said provincial police (SQ) spokesperson Nicolas Scholtus.
The woman was transported to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
