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Cliff jumper dies in North Vancouver canyon

Rescue crews recover body in Lynn Canyon Sunday afternoon
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The waters below Twin Falls Bridge in Lynn Canyon are known for being hazardous. File photo by Mike Wakefield/North Shore News

One man is dead following a cliff jumping incident in Lynn Canyon.

Around 4:45 p.m. Sunday, District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services members received a 911 call for help from the Twin Falls area of the canyon.

When rescue crews arrived, they could see the victim trapped under the water just south of the Twin Falls Bridge, held down by the fast flowing current, according to assistant fire chief David Dales.

Because of rainfall late last week, the creek was flowing heavily at the time, Dales said.

“After two hours of continuous attempts, we were able to finally secure him and get him up,” he said.

Rescue crews did CPR on the man and hooked him up to an automatic cardiopulmonary system before he was handed over to BC Ambulance Service paramedics. He did not survive.

“It was a very challenging call and sadly there was a negative outcome,” Dales said,

Authorities aren’t releasing any details about the victim, other than to say he was a man in his 30s, and not a resident of the North Shore.

Dales said there were “tons” of people in the canyon at the time. The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge remains closed by the District of North Vancouver due to COVID-19.

“We're seeing the volume of people that would have been recreating in that area move to the south, which is the Twin Falls Bridge,” Dales said.

Dales said he’s never seen so many people out in the district’s parks.

“The summer has been extremely busy,” he said.

It’s the first accidental fatality in the canyon since 2017 when a Pennsylvania teen drowned in same area. There have been 32 deaths in the canyon since 1993.

“We highly recommend against any cliff jumping. It's a dangerous activity,” Dales said. “We encourage everyone to enjoy the pools and Lynn Canyon but do not cliff jump.”

The BC Coroners Service is now tasked with finding the exact cause of death.

For the original version of this story, click here.