Two men had to be rescued off the shores of Oak Bay when their boat struck a reef at around 8:45 Wednesday morning.
Kelly Noel, the Station Leader at Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue Station (RCMSAR) Station 33-Oak Bay, says the men were rescued without sustaining injuries, thanks to a joint effort of multiple agencies.
"So we had the (CCGS) Cape Calvert present, Coast Guard RIB, and our vessel, and then a commercial towing vessel as well. And it sounds like it was a collaboration between the Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue at Oak Bay, our station, that ended up towing this vessel and de-watering it."
The vessel was towed to the Oak Bay Marina and, because the damage was substantial, the boat was beached for further salvage.
The vessel had hit Mouatt reef, by Trial Island off the shore near Victoria Golf Course, and Noel says there are quite a few incidents out there every year, because people misread the warning buoy, and end up on the reef side.
She adds that she's happy her volunteer organization could be involved in the successful, multi-agency rescue.