Dramatic Search & Rescue Now A Recovery Effort In The Boise River

It went from a search & rescue to a recovery in under 2 hours yesterday when a kayaker on the Boise River went missing. 

At 2:45 pm on Monday, May 1, the Boise Fire and Boise Police responded to a report of a missing adult male kayaker. According to Boise Dispatch, at 3:07, Fire/Rescue teams located the inflatable kayak at 3:19, authorities narrowed their search to four miles downstream from the E. Parkcenter Bridge. 

The press release states, "The Boise Fire Dive Team recovered one inflatable kayak on the river. Nine Boise Fire units, including the river rescue boat

and Boise Police with drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), responded to the search on the river and along the Greenbelt. They were unable to locate the male subject. At 4:15 pm, Boise Fire called off the search and transitioned it from a rescue to a recovery effort." 

Witnesses said the missing person was a white male, possibly in his 50s. While searching for the missing kayaker, two more paddleboarders we in the water, and one needed to be rescued after getting hung up in the brush. 

The Boise Police and Fire Departments remind people that "Dangerous River Condition" signs are still posted along the river and encourage people to stay off the river. They also mention, "If you enter and have to be rescued, you will be charged for all efforts to rescue you (per Boise City code)."