A search and rescue effort is ongoing for 34-year-old James “Dakota” Smith after he failed to return from a solo canoe trip near Adam River on Nov. 6.
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A search is ongoing for 34-year-old James “Dakota” Smith, who failed to return from a solo canoe trip off northern Vancouver Island amid stormy weather.
Family members and search coordinator Matthew Ambers said Smith, a member of the Ma’amtagila Nation, was last seen around 12 p.m. PCT Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at Adam River, about 85 kilometres northwest of Campbell River.
Ambers said Smith had planned to return bones from an earlier hunt to nature by dropping them into the ocean, a practice described by his cousin Seneca Ambers.
Authorities were called after Smith was a few hours late to return home to his partner and two young children, Seneca said.
The community-led search began after Smith was reported missing, and family and friends drove to the Adam River area from across Vancouver Island, according to Seneca.
Matthew’s update said Smith’s canoe was located about seven-and-a-half hours after the search began, roughly six nautical miles west of Adam River, but there were no signs of Smith.
Seneca said Saturday’s stormy conditions continued to challenge search efforts, including rough water that forced Matthew to retreat from the water and shift to land searching.
In an email, Victoria’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said it received the call on Nov. 6 and tasked two Canadian Coast Guard vessels and two aircraft to search for Smith.
The centre said based on survivability models, a search reduction was ordered at roughly 7:30 p.m. PCT, and that RCMP has the lead.
The RCMP said it received the report about Smith at approximately 4:20 p.m. PCT, while the search continued in the Johnstone Strait.
Members of the family said they did not know what had happened and asked for continued support from the community to help bring Smith home.
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