North Shore Search and Rescue volunteers were able to reach the body of Cole Marsh late Tuesday afternoon, three weeks after the Coquitlam teen jumped from the cliffs near the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.
Marsh was with friends at the popular attraction on March 28, the last day of spring break, when he jumped at about 4:30 p.m. He clung to the rocks for about half an hour but dropped into the water before rescuers could reach him.
Michael Danks, North Shore Search and Rescue team leader, said volunteers put in more than 1,900 hours over the following 12 days trying to locate Marsh and then to pull him from the water.
"Our team was very motivated to provide closure for the family," Danks said.
The team had equipment specially fabricated to try to reach the boy's body and went through four underwater cameras during the rescue, which involved lowering rescuers down on a portable ledge suspended above the pool as well as kayak and swift-water rescue members.
"So much heart went into this call — no one wanted to give up," Danks said. "It was a very technical rescue because of the area he was in… was a swift-water environment with a very large waterfall beside us and fluctuating water levels."
A number of agencies assisted in the search, including North Vancouver fire departments and RCMP, Lynn Canyon park rangers, Metro Vancouver, Dynamic Rescue, Talon Helicopters and more.
"We're all trying to get the message out to everyone that visits the canyon, it's not safe to jump in those areas and I think this is a prime example of what can happen," Danks said, noting that even though the cliffs lure jumpers every summer, rescuers never condone such activity.
"Even if you have ideal water conditions, there's still a very serious danger when doing these cliff jumps. Some of them are 90 feet high. There are so many fatalities and so many injuries, even for people who know that area well."
A well-liked local lacrosse player, Marsh was due to graduate from Terry Fox secondary this year.
A fundraising page has been set up for his family; to donate, visit www.gofundme.com.
* This story has been updated to correct the location from which the teen jumped.
