A Sooke fisherman who rescued a man adrift in a life-raft 74 kilometres off Tofino last week says he initially thought he was looking at a barrel in the ocean.
Ryan Planes said he could see something red about half a kilometre away. He at first figured it was debris, but he noticed reflective tape, which made him run to get a pair of binoculars for a closer look. As he peered through the binoculars, Planes could see the barrel was actually a life-raft, and there was someone on board.
“He was waving his paddle. Really waving his paddle. Poor guy,” Planes said in a phone interview Wednesday.
