RCMP confirm 2 kayakers missing from Sidney, B.C., found dead in Washington state | CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2024 9:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: April 25

RCMP confirmed Wednesday that two kayakers who went missing from Vancouver Island have been found dead in Washington state.

On Tuesday, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office announced they had found two bodies in the waters off San Juan Island.

It came three days after a search began for two kayakers last seen off the shore of Sidney, B.C., around 25 kilometres north of Victoria.

Daniel MacAlpine, 36, and Nicolas West, 26, were reported missing on Saturday afternoon while kayaking from D'Arcy Island to Island View Beach, just south of Sidney.

On Wednesday, Sidney/North Saanich RCMP said Washington state authorities confirmed the deceased to be MacAlpine and West.

"Sidney/North Saanich RCMP would like to thank all the agencies that were involved in this search and subsequent recovery efforts," Staff Sgt. Wayne Conley said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the families at this time."

San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter says the first body was reported on Monday around 3 p.m. PT. He said authorities found the body floating in the water against the rocks in Grandma's Cove on the south side of San Juan Island.

The second body was reported Tuesday around 6:30 a.m. PT, located in Middle Channel to the south of the island. 

Peter says both were wearing life-jackets.

The bodies were turned over to the San Juan County Coroner's Office, which later positively identified the bodies to RCMP.

With files from Joel Ballard