Catherine Desautels says her best friend, Remy Nolet, saved her life before he disappeared in the Richelieu River near Montreal on Monday.
It was dark, the waves were high, the Richelieu River was icy cold and Nolet and Desautels had only one lifejacket between the two of them. Their canoe had just capsized in the Chambly Basin, and they were struggling to stay afloat.
With both their lives on the line, Nolet decided let go, Desautels said.
"He said 'Cat, put on the jacket, put on the jacket, Cathy,'" a tearful Desautels told CTV Montreal in French. She said she called out to him and told him she'd get help, but the water soon swept them apart and he was gone. "Afterward there were large waves that separated us, and I couldn't see him anymore," she said.
Desautels, 17, had hypothermia when two men rescued her two hours after she and Nolet fell into the water.
Nolet, 19, is presumed to have drowned.
"He's my hero," Desautels said on Tuesday. "He saved my life."
The two life-long friends had been crossing the river in Nolet's canoe on their way home from dinner at a pizza restaurant on the other side of the water. Desautels said conditions on the water became choppy around 6 p.m., and the waves eventually overturned their canoe.
She says there were two unused lifejackets in the canoe, but one was blown away by the strong winds, leaving only one for the pair.
"We tried, the two of us, to hold onto the lifejacket, but it wasn't working," Desautels said.
Nolet's parents told CTV Montreal they're proud of their son. Friends added that he was the kind of person who always helped others.
Desautels’ father said Wednesday he also wants to thank the anonymous man who threw a rope to his daughter and the other unknown man who jumped in and pulled her to safety.
Police dive teams have been searching the river for Nolet's body since he was reported missing Monday night.
Police said Wednesday that objects revealed by sonar imaging during their search turned out to be false alarms.
With files from CTV Montreal
