THUNDER BAY – A leisurely swim at Soldier’s Hole quickly turned into a life or death situation on Thursday night.
Thanks to the quick thinking of several people, including Katryna and Jenna Kadikoff, disaster was averted.
The cousins said they were enjoying the water at the popular, but hard-to-get-to swimming spot, located off a trail in Centennial Park, when they heard shouting, the commotion springing them into action.
“We were just floating in the water and we heard somebody screaming that somebody was drowning,” said 26-year-old Jenna.
“We started swimming toward them. He was unconscious and had been under the water for quite a while, so we were all trying to grab hold of him and pull him up onto Jenna’s floatie,” her 27-year-old cousin added.
Katryna said there were several other people present who helped get the victim, who they believe through his friends is in stable condition, out of the water and onto the rocks, where Jenna’s CPR training kicked in.
“Katryna was holding his head out of the water while I was holding onto his arms. Then there were two other of his friends that were helping us too. Luckily all four of us were there – and the girl who notified us from shore – if all five of us weren’t there it would have had a different ending.”
It was the last thing the cousins expected to happen.
“It was just the adrenalin that kicked in and we thought CPR. I got my hands ready to do the compressions and it was just kind of instinct that kicked in after that,” Katryna said.
“I think in the moment I was trying to tell myself, ‘You have something to do right now and you can let your emotions out after.’ In the moment we were able to get it together and stay calm and brought him back to shore,” Jenna said. “And then afterward, when we realized what had happened is when it kind of hit us and we got a little bit emotional.”
That moment didn’t take long, Jenna added.
“When he became conscious and spit up some water and we knew 911 was on their way, we were just so grateful he was OK.”
Firefighters and paramedics raced to the scene and helped bring the man and one of his companions back to shore for treatment, using specialized equipment to lift them to safety up the steep side of the gorge.
Katryna said she believes the victim got caught up in the current and cautioned anyone who goes swimming at Soldier’s Hole, or anywhere really, to be aware of their surroundings and make sure they’re not alone.
“And hopefully maybe we can get some signs up saying that it’s a strong current and you need to be a better swimmer to make sure you’re going to be OK.”
“It’s such a popular place and it’s so dangerous,” Jenna added.
There have been numerous close calls at Soldier’s Hole over the years and in 2002, a 10-year-old boy died while swimming there.
