Manitoba Recovery Team Begins Underwater Search on Okanagan Lake
Update October 15 2026 10 pm - The Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART) says it has located and recovered Kyle Yrjola from Okanagan Lake at a depth of more than 400 feet.
In a post on its official Facebook page, the Manitoba-based nonprofit stated that its team recovered Yrjola after searching the deep waters of the lake. The post thanked supporters for prayers and donations and asked for continued prayers for Yrjola’s family.
HEART, which specializes in underwater recovery using side-scan sonar and a remotely operated vehicle, began operations on the lake starting about 10 am Thursday.
Dive team coordinator Paul Maendel previously told ExNews that the depth of the lake (reaching approximately 600 feet in the search area) required slow, methodical scanning and that the effort was weather-dependent.
The recovery brings an end to the search that began more than three weeks ago.
Official confirmation from Vernon North Okanagan RCMP or the BC Coroners Service has not yet been reported.
October 15 2026 - A specialized recovery team from Manitoba has begun work on Okanagan Lake in the search for Kyle Yrjola, who has been missing since a paddleboarding incident on September 22 near Fintry Provincial Park and Carr’s Landing.
The Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART) said it learned of the case through social media and news reports. Yrjola’s family contacted the team roughly two weeks after the incident.
A woman who was with him was rescued by a Kelowna Fire Rescue boat the evening Yrjola was lost. He still has not been located.
Speaking on the lake this morning, dive team coordinator Paul Maendel said HEART reviewed the circumstances and concluded its equipment could assist.
The group uses towed side-scan sonar that can be lowered close to the bottom and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for recovery, tools Maendel said are not widely available.
The team is building a search plan using details from the 911 call, the location where the woman who was rescued was picked up, and her recollection of where the incident occurred.
Water depths in the area reach approximately 600 feet, which significantly slows the process. At that depth the sonar scans roughly 120 feet wide while the vessel moves at about one kilometre per hour.
Maendel said a full search could take a week or longer and will depend on weather and bottom conditions.
He also noted that local historians have indicated there may be other unrecovered remains in the lake, which can complicate sonar interpretation.
According to Maendal, HEART has been conducting underwater recoveries for about 15 years. It began by assisting Hutterite colonies and now responds to cases across Western Canada, averaging roughly 10 recoveries per year.
The organization is a registered charity and does not charge families. Maendel said the work is faith-based, describing it as “helping our neighbor, loving our neighbor" as ourselves.
Maendel encouraged public support, noting the team receives no pay and covers its own travel and operating costs.
Donations can be made through the team’s website, its Facebook page, or by e-transfer.
Local RCMP and search-and-rescue crews conducted an extensive surface search in the days after the September 22 incident before operations were scaled back. HEART’s involvement is at the request of the family.
Manitoba Recovery Team Begins Underwater Search on Okanagan Lake
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