Ice-canoe race photographer falls into freezing St. Lawrence River — and lives to tell the tale
A sports photographer found himself on thin ice last weekend — and just as he realized that, he was plunged into the freezing St. Lawrence River.
Jacques Proulx was the official photographer for the ice canoe races in Portneuf, Que., 60 kilometres east of Quebec City.
Proulx said it's not unusual for him to run out onto the ice to get the best shots of the athletes. However, on Saturday, he said he heard three sharp cracking sounds — unlike the sounds he's used to hearing on the frozen river.
"I don't like this sound," Proulx recalls thinking. "The third crack, the last one, the ice opened and I dropped into the water."
Proulx said he was able to keep his head above water but wasn't able to hoist himself up and back onto the ice, because of the three cameras he had strapped to his body.
He said he couldn't feel any injuries, and he was able to breath.
"I'm not panicked: I take a breath, and I wait," he said.
The photographer said he knows people can survive for about 20 minutes in icy water, so he did his best to stay calm.
Within a few minutes, a firefighter ran out onto the ice to toss Proulx a buoy. But the weight and awkwardness of the cameras still strapped to his torso still made it difficult for him to hoist himself onto the ice.
The coast guard later told him that he'd been in the water for a total of about 14 minutes.
He wasn't hurt, but he now has to replace about $22,000 in camera equipment.
It wasn't the first time Proulx has gotten wet shooting a sporting event on the ice, he recounted. It's not unusual for a foot or a leg to slip into the freezing water, he said, but he's never been submerged.
Proulx is due to shoot another ice canoe race in Rimouski in less than two weeks. He said he's not afraid to go back onto the ice.
Next time, he said, he'll double-check how thick it is.
"I'm going to keep living and keep taking pictures."
