RCMP help rescue distressed kayakers, including 6 children off Washington coast

A dozen kayakers – including 12 children – are back on dry land after a rescue near the U.S. San Juan Islands involving an RCMP Shiprider team.

Members of the RCMP Shiprider program helped rescued a dozen distressed kayakers – half of them children – off the coast of Washington state on Thursday.

Authorities said they received a distress call around 1:50 p.m. involving six kayaks in the area of the U.S. San Juan Islands.

Two families had gone on a guided overnight kayaking tour and encountered “challenging conditions” on their way back, the B.C. RCMP said Friday in a news release.

“Realizing the conditions had surpassed their capabilities to safely continue the trip, they made the prudent decision to call for help before the situation worsened,” the release added.

An RCMP Shiprider team was patrolling nearby and helped with the rescue effort, working alongside crews from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Shiprider program and Washington State Parks.

All 12 of the kayakers were transported to Orcas Island without injury, though authorities said they were “understandably shaken by the ordeal.”

Normally, cross-border Shiprider teams deal with national security threats, as well as smuggling and trafficking, but Thursday’s rescue effort “highlights the great teamwork” between the Canadians and Americans involved, said Insp. Jim Leonard of the RCMP’s Federal Policing-Pacific Region, in a statement.

“While rescue operations are not typically our primary role, our presence on the water allows us to respond when emergencies arise, reflecting our shared commitment to public safety,” Leonard said.