A 33-year-old former Port Alberni resident is dead after a cliff diving accident on the Kennedy River along Highway 4.
An RCMP dive team recovered the body of the man shortly after 2 p.m. RCMP Cpl. Colin Banks confirmed that the deceased is Jamie Collins, 33.
Police and emergency personnel responded to 911 calls about a possible drowning at Kennedy River on Friday at 7 p.m. They searched for Collins but ceased at nightfall.
The dive team was called in on Saturday morning and arrived at the scene at noon. The team located Collin’s body at 2 p.m.
According to Banks, Collins and three friends were swimming at Sproat Lake on Friday afternoon when they left for Tofino, where Collins had been living. The group stopped at a popular secluded swimming and diving spot at Kennedy River.
Three of the group walked to the lower ledges where they entered the water. Collins walked to the upper ledges, said to be up to 20 metres high.
“He jumped and they heard a splash but said he appeared unconscious when he surfaced,” Banks said.
“They went down to find him but he’d submerged by the time they got there.”
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