June 27, 8:15 p.m.: This post has been updated with the ages of the three men involved.
On June 27, 2021, at 2:00 p.m., members of the Huntsville OPP Detachment along with OPP Aviation Services, OPP Underwater Search & Recovery Unit, Port Sydney Fire, and Muskoka EMS responded to reports of a drowning in Port Sydney.
Initial reports were that three males were last seen in the water and had not surfaced after going down the rapids in Port Sydney. A collaborative search and rescue ensued. The search lasted approximately one hour.
Two males were located shortly after and were transported to hospital by local paramedics. A 22-year-old male is recovering in hospital; a 23-year-old male was initially revived by paramedics but later succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
A 20-year-old male was located deceased by the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit.
The names of the deceased will be withheld pending next of kin notification.
Emergency crews responded to a double drowning in Port Sydney the afternoon of June 27, 2021 (Photo: Craig Nakamoto)
Huntsville OPP would like to thank the public for their assistance in this matter and are reminding residents to be vigilant of their safety on the water. Wear a PFD, never swim alone, know your limits and stay within them.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
I was there at the time of the incident when the group of friends came. It was just for a little visit on their way home to Windsor Ontario. Just a little swiming end up causing two lives lost.
May their souls rest in peace.
May the surviving one have the strength and courage to move on.
I visit Port Sidney twice. It is indeed a nice relaxing place,the water was nice and calm then, but when I went back on Sundaythe water was very, very rough due to all the rain.
I hope the city will do a little more my putting up some sort of serous warning signs to alert non resendital visitors..
The people around was very helpful. May God blessed them all.
Port Sidney is a beautiful town.
June 29 2021
I was quite shaken and very sad to hear of the drownings. My heart goes out to all who loved these children.
In the 1970’s when I was a young woman in my 20’s three of us went down down the Port Sydney rapids. I became trapped under a ledge with the force of water holding me there. Thankfully, my friend who was a strong young man grabbed my arm and pulled me out. We knew enough to let the current take us to shore and did not try to swim against it.
Now in my 70’s when reading this article I came to the realization that my strong young man quite possibly saved my life.
I don’t know if anything will deter adventure seekers. Just before we entered the water a lady warned us there had been a drowning a couple of weeks before, but we were young and continued on.
I am very sorry to hear about these three people.
Bob makes an excellent point. A memorial would be a great way to deter people. I have also seen some really good signs near whitewater that use graphics to depict the dangerous currents and rocks – which makes it easy to understand the risks and avoid any language bariiers. A picture can also have a much better impact.
One of the problems here is that many people are not familiar with changing water levels. They see kids going down the falls when the water is low and it looks completely safe. The next time they come the water is higher and it may not look too different, but it can be significantly more dangerous. Even with only slightly more water.
I have swam at these falls my entire life and I know the currents and conditions well at various water levels. As the water level rises the strength of the current and danger increases dramatically. I have seen people almost drown because after going down the falls they try to swim back up against the current and become exhausted – when they should just swim with the current, or sideways to either shore. This happens at lower water levels too.
I believe the two whirlpools claimed the most lives, until they were filled in. You can still see the circular holes that the whirlpools created in the solid granite along the far side below the falls.
I understand that there have been many drowings and near drowings here over the years. A sign warning people of the dangers will never be enough to prevent incidents like these from happening again. Perhaps a memorial of sorts to the people who have died here would give others pause to reflect before jumping in. List the names, ages and dates when others have died. Remind people to wear a PFD and do not go in the rapids during high water.