Two people were "very lucky" to escape significant injuries in an afternoon Sea-Doo crash on the waters off Crescent Beach Sunday.
According to John Del Monte of RCM-SAR5, the pair – described as young men – were riding a Sea-Doo in the channel when the vessel hit a navigation marker.
"It actually hung itself up on the port-hand marker. It was impaled," Del Monte said.
"The guy that was on the back… flew over (the driver's) shoulder."
In addition to the marine-rescue crew, police, firefighters, paramedics and a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft responded to the scene.
While only minor injuries were reported, Del Monte said the vessel operator was "definitely hurting."
"He tore the steering column right off the Sea-Doo, so… whatever he hit, it had to be severely bruised."
The collision occurred around 3 p.m.
The passenger was pulled from the water by beachgoers; the RCM-SAR5 crew retrieved the operator, estimated by Delmonte to be in his early 20s, from the Sea-Doo itself.
Del Monte was confident speed combined with operator inexperience were to blame.
"Once it starts heading in the wrong direction, the only way to really correct it is to steer and apply the gas, but once you're heading for an object, your impulse is to react differently," he said. "It's counter-intuitive."