Cape Breton man drowns while saving wife at Port Hood Beach

Cape Breton man drowns while saving wife A Cape Breton man is being remembered as a hero, after he drowned saving his wife at Port Hood Beach. CTV's Kyle Moore reports.

A Cape Breton man is being remembered as a hero, after he drowned while saving his wife from the water at Port Hood Beach on the weekend.

On Saturday, just before 2 p.m., Inverness District RCMP responded to a report of a suspected drowning at Port Hood Beach.

A 59-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman, both from Sydney, had been in the ocean and required assistance to get back to shore.

After several attempts at resuscitation, the man was pronounced dead. The woman was brought to shore safely and transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police have not released the man's identity, but CTV News has learned the 59-year-old is Greg MacDonald, a former employee with ATV Cape Breton. MacDonald worked as cameraman until 1993, but continued to volunteer his time with Christmas Daddies, and was still an employee of Mass for Shut-Ins.

His family says MacDonald and his wife Sharon were walking together on the beach when they were hit with a strong wave, which knocked them over. MacDonald helped his wife by pushing her towards the shoreline, but got caught up in the rip tide.

Daryl Reeves, with CTV production in Sydney, says he was devastated to hear the news of MacDonald’s passing.

“I'm still in shock. I worked with Greg for many years, most recently on the IWK Telethon,” says Reeves. “He was one of the most pleasant guys you could work with. He will be sadly missed.”

The family has confirmed to CTV News that the medical examiner's office has determined the cause of death was due to drowning.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.