A Victoria couple whose boat capsized during a guided trip on the Bella Coola River on Tuesday has been identified by family as Andrea and Cameron Murdoch.
Cameron, 42, who grew up in Victoria, has been found dead. Andrea (nee Newsted), 51, who grew up in Qualicum Beach, as well as the boat’s guide are missing and presumed dead, said brother Dave Newsted.
“Their love for one another was tremendous,” said Newsted, in a phone interview Sunday evening. “They had lots of energy and they loved Victoria and they loved doing special vacations together and they would do anything for their two nieces and two nephews.”
The Murdochs headed from Victoria to Bella Coola, on B.C.’s central coast, and hired a boat and a guide for what would have been about a four-hour trip. They departed at 8 a.m. and were to be picked up at noon.
The trip was to celebrate the couple’s tenth wedding anniversary. They wanted to see the Great Bear Rainforest and Cameron, an avid photographer, had just bought a new camera with the hopes of bringing home stunning memories.
On Aug. 10, just after 11:30 a.m., Bella Coola RCMP were called about a partially capsized boat adrift and headed downstream on the Bella Coola River near Walker Island Park.
The boat was identified as a fishing guide boat from a local lodge, B.C. RCMP media relations officer Sgt. Chris Manseau said Wednesday. “There were no persons found on or near the boat, and there was believed to have been three aboard.”
Just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Campbell River Search and Rescue, with the use of a helicopter, located the body of a person approximately two kilometres above Grant Road and four kilometres downstream from the Walker Island riverbank.
Newsted, who has spoken to Cameron’s family, confirmed it was Cameron who was found. Newsted presumes his sister has also died.
Andrea, the eldest of three siblings, is survived by her brother Dave Newsted and her parents Bryan and Pat Newsted, formerly of Qualicum Beach and now living in Penticton. “Devastated is an understatment,” Newsted said of his parents.
Cameron is survived by sister Elizabeth and parents Keith and Linda Murdoch of Victoria.
The couple did not have children but treated their siblings’ kids — nephews Jonah, 22, and Cypress, 13 and nieces Sarah, 20, and Leah, 17 — as their own.
Family describe Cameron as highly respected, friendly and positive and Andrea as bright and energetic and always smiling.
Cameron fell in love with camping at Heron Rocks on Hornby Island and never stopped, said Newsted. He introduced Andrea to camping and she too grew to love it — after bringing four suitcases to the first camping trip, a story that became a lovingly shared family joke.
Newsted said his sister’s young spirit and looks were such that one wouldn’t know there was 10 years between her and Cameron. Photographs of the couple show them as comfortable in suits and dresses and ready for a night on the town and as they were prepared for adventure, whether it was skiing, camping, exploring Iceland, or hot-air balloning over Bruge.
The two both worked in the tech solar industry, Andrea as a business development manager at Carmanah Technologies Corp. where she has been close to two decades. Carmanah is a manufacturer of solar and AC-powered systems for traffic safety. She attended the University of Victoria.
Cameron was a marketing manager at HES PV Ltd. of Victoria. HES PV helps Canadian homeowners and businesses to use solar electricity. Cameron’s Linkedin online biography said he has a demonstrated history of working in the renewables and environment industry, and was skilled in photography and event planning. He graduated from Camosun College.
The identity of the guide was not reported on Sunday.
Bella Coola RCMP are working with search and rescue partners to find Andrea and the guide. “Both air and water searches are continuing in the area today in hopes of finding the two missing people,” said Manseau.
Newsted believes the search will wind down soon but said the effort and resources by land, sea and air has been massive and he’s satisfied that the search for his sister has been significant and appreciated by the families.
Bella Coola RCMP request anyone who may have information on what happened, or saw the boat earlier on Aug. 10, to contact the detachment at 250-799-5363.
