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The RCMP logo is seen in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, March 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Man drowns while swimming near Goldstream Falls on Vancouver Island

Aug 18, 2026 | 10:53 AM

LANGFORD — A man has died while swimming near a waterfall at Goldstream Provincial Park, about 19 kilometres west Victoria.

RCMP say in a news release that the drowning happened Monday evening as the 27-year-old man was swimming near Goldstream Falls.

Police say he went under and did not surface.

Bystanders were able to pull him from the water and start resuscitation.

However, police say he died in hospital despite life-saving measures by the public and paramedics.

This is the latest is a spike of drownings this summer in B.C., including the death of a 13-year-old girl earlier this month who fell into the water while floating on a paddleboard on Cultus Lake.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2026.

The Canadian Press