It was a tense fishing trip for six anglers who had to be rescued from the Capilano River after water levels surged to dangerous levels Friday.
The group became stranded on an island in the middle of the river, which flows between North and West Vancouver, underneath a highway overpass, according to fire crews.
Crews swam across the river to the island and guided the men downstream to a spot where water levels were low, then helped them cross over to dry land.
West Vancouver Fire Department's fire chief said he had to contact officials at the Cleveland Dam to have water flow reduced.
The reason behind the surge of water is unclear. A spokesman for West Vancouver Fire said it could have been caused by a number of reasons, including the dam being opened earlier in the day.
"One is the dam is static and just doing what it does when there's excess rain, two is that it could have been opened to relieve pressure on the reservoir," said Martin Ernst
A spokesman for Metro Vancouver, which operates the dam, said the surge in water flow was likely due to heavy rain. He also said there is no warning system to let fishermen and others using the dam know when there will be a surge in water flow, because it fluctuates all the time.
Because of that, people using the river should be cautious during periods of heavy rain, the spokesman said.
Firefighters said this type of incident is common in rainy months, especially when fishing season begins.
None of the fishermen suffered injuries.
