Oak Bay Search
- Thread starter marula
- Start date
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Report i heard was that a plane went down which was unsubstantiated
after a search.
false alarm ?
after a search.
false alarm ?
twinwinds
Active Member
Heard it was false alarm, someone saying they were off Tofino but the call was traced back to Oak bay, authorities are currently looking for the people who made the call so charges can be laid for the fake call.
One hundred thousand was spend on the false search.
(heard on the radio)
One hundred thousand was spend on the false search.
(heard on the radio)
islanderguy
Member
Here's the article in the Times Colonist a few days ago:
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=af598914-782a-4506-9387-a3d01e0f2657
Oak Bay distress hoax sparked futile search
Jeff Bell, Times Colonist
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A mayday call about a 54-foot vessel in trouble off Oak Bay last night is being treated as a hoax, and the public is being encouraged to help authorities find out who is responsible for it.
"It's very dangerous," said Marc Proulx, maritime co-ordinator at Victoria's Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
"Luckily for us the weather was excellent last night, but it's very dangerous for the searchers because they're out there risking their lives looking for something that doesn't exist."
Despite the good weather, the sea was choppy and there was a lot of rock in the search area, he said.
The initial call was received about 11 p.m., and search crews were dispatched immediately to an area around the Chain Islets, partway between the Oak Bay shoreline and Discovery Island.
"Initially we searched with two coast guard auxiliary units, our coast guard vessel out of Ganges and a Buffalo aircraft that was dropping illumination flares for them," Proulx said.
The flares had many Oak Bay residents wondering what has happening out on the water as seachers worked during the night. The search continued through mid-morning.
"We were able to search that area adequately at night with the illumination flares, but we always do a daytime search, as well."
Proulx said searchers were able to concentrate on a relatively small area because of information from sophisticated direction-finding equipment operated by the United States Coast Guard in Port Angeles. The equipment narrowed the location of the distress signal, he said, but a thorough search did not find any signs of trouble.
"At that point it was stood down. There was nothing found at all. In this case something would have been found, if what was reported on the radio was correct - it was reported as a 54-foot vessel, and there would have been lots of debris from it."
There appears to be little doubt that the mayday was false.
"Whatever it was, it was deliberate because it wasn't just a one-time call," Proulx said. "In this case it went on for several transmissions and it was very deliberate.
"We're assuming at this point that it was a hoax, unless any new information tells us otherwise."
Proulx said anyone with information about the origin of the call can call the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre at 250-363-2995 or their local police department.
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=af598914-782a-4506-9387-a3d01e0f2657
Oak Bay distress hoax sparked futile search
Jeff Bell, Times Colonist
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A mayday call about a 54-foot vessel in trouble off Oak Bay last night is being treated as a hoax, and the public is being encouraged to help authorities find out who is responsible for it.
"It's very dangerous," said Marc Proulx, maritime co-ordinator at Victoria's Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
"Luckily for us the weather was excellent last night, but it's very dangerous for the searchers because they're out there risking their lives looking for something that doesn't exist."
Despite the good weather, the sea was choppy and there was a lot of rock in the search area, he said.
The initial call was received about 11 p.m., and search crews were dispatched immediately to an area around the Chain Islets, partway between the Oak Bay shoreline and Discovery Island.
"Initially we searched with two coast guard auxiliary units, our coast guard vessel out of Ganges and a Buffalo aircraft that was dropping illumination flares for them," Proulx said.
The flares had many Oak Bay residents wondering what has happening out on the water as seachers worked during the night. The search continued through mid-morning.
"We were able to search that area adequately at night with the illumination flares, but we always do a daytime search, as well."
Proulx said searchers were able to concentrate on a relatively small area because of information from sophisticated direction-finding equipment operated by the United States Coast Guard in Port Angeles. The equipment narrowed the location of the distress signal, he said, but a thorough search did not find any signs of trouble.
"At that point it was stood down. There was nothing found at all. In this case something would have been found, if what was reported on the radio was correct - it was reported as a 54-foot vessel, and there would have been lots of debris from it."
There appears to be little doubt that the mayday was false.
"Whatever it was, it was deliberate because it wasn't just a one-time call," Proulx said. "In this case it went on for several transmissions and it was very deliberate.
"We're assuming at this point that it was a hoax, unless any new information tells us otherwise."
Proulx said anyone with information about the origin of the call can call the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre at 250-363-2995 or their local police department.
