As Ontario fisherman Kevin Fox filmed himself running across the ice in Georgian Bay near Owen Sound, Ont., Sunday afternoon, he realized the severity of his situation as it became clear that he and several others could no longer get back to shore.
“That ain’t good,” he exclaimed on video.
Fox, who is from Penetanguishene, Ont., and regularly posts fishing content on social media, was one of 23 people who had to be airlifted to shore in helicopter runs after a piece of ice they were standing on separated from Balmy Beach, north of Owen Sound.
“While we were fishing there was a large crack across the ice — and it separated,” Fox told CBC News in an interview. “When we tried to run along the crack to find a way to cross, due to the high winds it separated too far [and] we couldn’t get back.”
The closest his crew could get at the time was about 15 to 30 metres from shore, which was too far to swim, he said. In the meantime, the chunk of ice underneath their feet was drifting out into larger Georgian Bay, where they would have to contend with bigger waves and dwindling ice.
“We knew there was no getting off that chunk of ice,” he said.
In a news release, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said officers from the Grey-Bruce detachment started getting calls about a number of people who were stranded on the ice just before noon Sunday.
The ice drifted out about two kilometres and split into several sections, which caused some people to become partially submerged in frigid water.
A large crew of first responders were called to the scene, including the OPP’s aviation and marine units, alongside firefighters from multiple nearby departments and paramedics.
Watch: OPP helicopter rescues people stranded on ice shelf in Georgian Bay
At first, Fox said, he wasn’t worried about his safety. Instead, he said he mostly just felt bad that emergency crews had to be called in for a rescue — but the mood changed when those on the ice started hearing rumblings that boats and helicopters might not be able to reach them because of weather and ice conditions.
That’s when people started calling their families, fearing the worst.
“Many people were calling to say goodbye — saying ‘tell the kids I love them,'” Fox said.
“It was quite emotional, especially seeing someone 19 years old, 20 years old, calling to say goodbye to their parents.”
But then helicopters appeared overhead, first grabbing a group who needed a water rescue, before making their way toward Fox and his compatriots.
Fox lauded the skill of the pilots on the scene, who held helicopters still just above the ice in windy conditions so people could climb aboard in groups of three.
“Once they started grabbing us it went pretty quick,” he said. “It felt like an eternity, but I bet it was probably a half hour, if that.”
By about 2:30 p.m., police say, all 23 people had been airlifted back to shore. Some minor injuries were reported — including hypothermia — but everyone involved is expected to make a full recovery.
In a video posted on social media Monday afternoon, OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said the rescue effort required “significant resources” and placed first responders at “considerable risk.”
“The OPP is urging the public to stay off unsafe ice,” he said, adding that “going on unstable ice puts your life at risk and forces first responders into dangerous situations that are entirely preventable.”
Some people on social media have gone a step further, saying those who were out ice fishing Sunday should foot the bill for rescue efforts. That’s something Fox says he’d be fine with.
“If they sent me a bill for it I’d have no issue paying for it, because you know what, at the end of the day they saved my life,” he said.
“I can always make more money, I can’t always come home and hug my kids and my wife. So if that was the case, I’d have no issue paying that.”
