Kamloops man saves swimmer drowning in Thompson River

Rob Griffiths is still emotionally shaken up and not able to sleep properly after saving a drowning man from the Thompson River near the Kamloops airport earlier this week. Griffiths was riding his bike along the river on Aviation Way the evening of July 8 when he saw two men in their early 20s jump into the river off a float plane dock. “I thought right away it looked like a dangerous thing to do, the river has a strong current, and before long one of the guys was bobbing up and down, struggling to keep above water and the other guy was struggling to swim while he attempted to help.” Griffiths is a strong swimmer as he spent the past 30 years swimming and surfing, activities he took on after he nearly drowned in Costa Rica. He said he's passionate about yoga and is in top physical shape. He said looking at the scene three options came to mind: walk away, keep watching or do something about it. He ran down the rocks yelling for someone to phone 911 and dove into the river. “I was apprehensive because the guy drowning was so much bigger than me and I thought he’d drown me,” Griffiths said. “He was two big to grab around the chest like you learn to do in swimming lessons, I sort of grabbed him by the underarm and held him up.” CONTENT ADVISORY         https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9L7xzcRDp2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading View this post on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9L7xzcRDp2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading                      A post shared by Rob (@bubbasnowboards) https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9L7xzcRDp2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading The second guy was struggling to keep afloat. “The current was strong, it was pulling us away from shore and was hard to move in, it took everything to fight it. It all happened in less than five minutes.” All three men made it safely to the shore where they sat on the rocks for half an hour. “There was a language barrier but the guys were very thankful,” he said. “I didn’t get their names.” READ MORE: Tourists following Google maps in Okanagan rescued after RV got stuck https://infotel.ca/newsitem/tourists-rescued-after-rv-got-stuck-following-google-maps-in-okanagan/it105662 Griffiths is hoping his account will bring more awareness of the dangers of the current particularly for tourists and international students. He's hoping more signs will be installed. “People drown in this river every year, a couple of signs could save a couple of lives,” he said. In August 2022, a Vernon doctor drowned in the Thompson River https://infotel.ca/newsitem/rcmp-identify-body-pulled-from-river-near-kamloops-airport-as-missing-vernon-doctor/it93375  after going for a swim with his son in the river at McArthur Island Park. To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .