Katherine Bickford

The Puntledge River does not look threatening when viewed from the Condensory Road Bridge – in fact, looking downstream toward the confluence of the Browns River things look rather serene.

The Puntledge is popular with tubers and paddlers – a nice summer day floating down the river from below the Puntledge Generating Station,  under the bridge, past the Browns and onto the Courtenay River to Lewis Park where most people get out of the river and back onto the land.

This can be be deceptive though, as the Puntledge has sections that where the volume of water and shallow depths combine to create rapidly flowing water that even rescue professionals try to avoid. This section moves fast in the spring and winter, and the water can easily overpower people.

This is the section of the Puntledge where 26 year old Veronika Sophie Weaver lost her life, on 30 January,2015.