Coyote Cruises back in business on Penticton’s Okanagan River channel

Coyote Cruises is preparing for another run on the Okanagan River channel in Penticton starting tomorrow.

The channel float operator opened for the season on June 27 but suspended operations a few days later because of safety concerns due to high, fast flowing water in the Okanagan River channel between the Okanagan Lake dam and Skaha Lake.

Cruises spokesperson Mike Campol said in a statement the company expects to reopen tomorrow, July 11, with additional safety measures in place.

“We closed to consult with everyone that has experience with safety on the channel. It was all hands on deck, ” Campol said.

Consultations with a risk management safety company helped them develop a plan for safely exiting and backstopping channel floaters at the end of their rides.

“We built a revised safety plan around the knowledge the channel is safe to float when it’s fast, you just have to know how to exit,” Campol said.

The company has also implemented an education program and placed additional signage at the exit point.

Coyote Cruises will also be positioning a fully trained rescue team at the exit during business hours.

Campol says mid-point exits from the channel have been suspended while the channel continues to run high, noting it only takes 20 minutes to reach the midway point at present channel flows.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to tips@infonews.ca and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.