Paddleboarder fatality in Wasaga Beach

Waves in Wasaga Beach (CTV News/Roger Klein)

A man has drowned while paddleboarding off the shores of Wasaga Beach.

Emergency crews responded to a call of a possible drowning at 1:50 p.m. on Sunday.

The man, who was not wearing a lifejacket, was observed falling off a paddleboard. Observers said the man was no longer visible in the water and that his paddleboard had blown away.

He was attempting to swim approximately 100 metres to the shore.

Shortly after 2 p.m., the 61-year-old man was found submerged in the water. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

With capsized vessels and falling overboard the top contributing factors in boating deaths every year, the OPP reminds people that a significant number of lives stand to be saved if boaters, personal watercraft users and paddlers wore a lifejacket or personal floatation device (PFD).