Dramatic whitewater rescue on Vancouver Island captured on video

A Burnaby couple's33rd wedding anniversary took a slightly dramatic turn when they stumbled upon a rescue in progress at the Nymph Falls Nature Park in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.

Hossam Mohamed and Mona Eldahan were at the park on August 18 when they saw a group of people trying to help a young male caught in the raging waters, fighting not to be swept over the rocks and downstream.Mohamed captured video of the rescue.

"He was a teenager I think, stuck in the middle of the falls, and the water was so high and so strong," saidEldahan. "People trying to rescue him first tried with a ropebut he couldn't grab the rope because it was too short."

As the water continuedto pound the boy, rescuers quickly tied two ropes together, said Eldahan.

"They succeeded after many attempts to throw it to him and he grabbed it and tied it around his waist. And some men jumped in the water to help to pull the boy from the middle from where he was stuck," she said.

Nymph Falls rescue

4 years ago

Duration 0:44

Bystanders scramble to rescue a young male caught in the raging waters of Nymph Falls on Vancouver Island. (courtesy Hossam Mohamed)

"People [on the shore] were saying 'oh my god, oh my god' and they were feeling so sorry for the boy. And then all of a sudden they rescued him and we all clapped and clapped."

Eldahansaid the boy appeared uninjured by his adventure, and even stayed swimming in the slower moving waters afterward.

The falls are formed by the swift waterof the Puntledge River flowing over exposed bedrock ledges. It's a favourite spot for white waterpaddlers, according to the park guide.