VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A night fishing trip turned into a nightmare for three men on Saturday after their canoe sank, leaving them stranded under the Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach.
The men all walked away unscathed, thanks to a group of good Samaritans coming to the rescue on another boat. However, after witnessing the ordeal—and capturing it on video — a local woman wants visitors to be aware of a danger that’s often overlooked: the strong current under the Lesner.
Watch: Canoers rescued after getting stuck in Virginia Beach
The rescue was captured by Olivia Kang, who lives in the Chic’s Beach area. Kang says she was on her friend’s boat, the Betty Lou, with six others coming back from dinner around 10:30 p.m.
As they were coasting along towards the bay, they noticed something unusual under the bridge.
“We saw some man's hand sticking out and he kind of yelled for help,” says Kang. “As soon as we pulled up, we saw their canoe was sunken.”
Kang says there were two men sitting in the water and one man clinging onto one of the pylons. She later learned that while they were fishing, their canoe filled with water and sank. Their phones weren’t working after being submerged in water for so long, leaving them with no way to call for help.
Watch related coverage: Off-duty firefighter rescues 6 from boat on fire near James River Bridge
Thankfully, the rescuees were in very capable hands: Kang says there was a Navy SEAL, a firefighter, and two captains with her on the boat. But several factors made the rescue tricky—all captured in Kang’s extended video.
“The two older gentlemen had a kind of hard time getting up. Neither of them knew how to swim, so we didn't want to take their life jackets off of them,” said Kang. “That's what made it hard getting them through the pylons.
The rescuers were able to pull the three men to safety. They’re okay, but they were visibly shaken up by what happened, Kang said.
Watch related coverage: Four rescued from boat taking on water by Virginia Beach Fire Dept.
After living in the area for four years, Kang is all too familiar with the local waters, but she says visitors underestimate the strong currents under the Lesner.
“Even if [the two men could swim], they probably would have drowned going back to land. Because, I mean, all the stories of people drowning under there, the current’s just too strong,” she said.
She thinks incidents like last Saturday’s can be prevented by warning visitors about the current’s strength.
“[The three rescued men] said they're from Norfolk. So if you're not from around here, you probably have no idea. It's really bad,” said Kang. “I think there needs to be…more information out there that it's very dangerous to go under there."
