Nine people had to be rescued from the waters of Georgian Bay in two days to kick off the long weekend. OPP from Collingwood and Huronia West say they were called to four separate incidents. Several people were rescued on Thursday afternoon. At approximately 1:30 p.m., while on general patrol, officers observed three adult female paddlers waving for help approximately 2 kilometers offshore of Wasaga Beach. Only one of them had a life jacket and they had two paddle boards between the three of them. They were quickly blown off the coast and found themselves in distress and unable to return. At 2:15 p.m., officers received a water service call in the area of Beachwood Road. Two children aged 12 and 13 blew themselves into the bay on a foam toy. None of the children were wearing life jackets. While driving to help, police spotted a child in the water in distress trying to swim back to shore. The other child was on the play mat. Both children were extremely cold and scared. At 3:30 p.m., two adult males were reported to be in danger after the inflatable toy they were on was thrown into the bay off Northwinds Beach in the Blue Mountains town. The OPP Marine Unit along with the Canadian Coast Guard coordinated their efforts and managed to rescue the couple who were also not wearing life jackets. On Canada Day two females had to be rescued after being blown into the bay from Wasaga Beach on a large inflatable flamingo. Police remind beachgoers that inflatable toys are not a substitute for life jackets or other life-saving devices.
