Doug Mepham
Special to The Lake Report/Niagara Now
Capsized kayaks, paddleboarders in peril and an assortment of on-the-water emergencies — the start of the boating season has been hectic for the volunteers of South Shore Search and Rescue.
Chances are, it will only get busier.
That’s only an educated guess, of course, but just over a month into the Lake Ontario boating season, 2025 is already shaping up to be a busy one with 10 rescue missions completed before the end of June.
It’s a sign, says unit leader Ben Upper, that we could be heading for a busy season.
“There are always predictions about how busy the coming year will be but we never really know until the season starts,” Upper says. “Some years, the spring can be very slow. Not this year.”
A number of factors can combine to make a busy boating season, Upper says. Good weather, particularly on weekends, is a big factor. So is fuel price.
Other economic factors like unemployment and interest rates are considerations. Whether Canadians are vacationing at home or travelling afar also has an impact. But a good boating season also means more rescue calls.
“The more boats on the water, the more calls we get,” Upper says. July and August are usually the busiest months, he says, but good weather in the fall can make September very busy, too.
The volunteer group, which draws members from communities from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Stoney Creek, was called out 31 times during the 2024 season.
Demand for the volunteers’ efforts has steadily grown over the past decade from a low of just eight calls in 2014. Over the past three years, South Shore Search And Rescue crews have been called to 108 rescue missions on Lake Ontario.
And 2025? “It’s too early to say,” Upper cautions, “but this could be a busy one.”
More than 30 active South Shore Search and Rescue volunteers maintain a fully equipped rescue vessel and train year-round to hone the skills and readiness to be effective on the water.
The group responds to emergencies anywhere in western Lake Ontario from a base at Fifty Point.
For more than 25 years, Doug Mepham has been a marine rescue volunteer. He is one of three South Shore Search And Rescue members from Niagara-on-the-Lake.
