The man who drowned at Vancouver’s Wreck Beach last week has been identified by family and friends as Rahul Ranwa, a 26-year-old international student from India.
Police have yet to reveal the identity, but family and friends have created a GoFundMe page to raise funds to arrange for his funeral and repatriation costs.
On April 17, 2025, at 3:25 p.m., the University RCMP received a report of a swimmer in distress at Wreck Beach between trails 4 and 6. A man was apparently in the water yelling for help and struggling to swim.
A bystander entered the water in an attempt to affect a rescue.
Unfortunately, the rescuer had to return to shore to avoid succumbing to the waters themselves and bystanders lost sight of the man.
With assistance from the Vancouver Fire Rescue, BC Ambulance Service, Metro Vancouver Parks and the Canadian Coast Guard, a marine search was undertaken. The hovercraft CCGS Moytel deployed divers and two rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) from the Kitsilano Coast Guard Station conducted an extensive search.
The police conducted a shoreline search at Wreck Beach and Acadia Beach in hopes to find the missing swimmer. Police Dog Services, RCMP Helicopter Air 1 and Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (aka drones) have also been deployed to assist in the search. Efforts to date have not been successful in locating the missing man.
The search was unsuccessful; however, and the man was presumed drowned. Vancouver Police later responded to the discovery of a body in the water on Third Beach. “While the body description matches the missing swimmer, confirmation of their identity has not yet been fully completed,” the police said.
According to the GoFundMe page, “Rahul was just 26, the only son of his parents, and had come to Canada last year as an international student. He was pursuing his MBA at Vancouver Community College — a bright student, a member of the Student Council, and someone who worked tirelessly at a part-time job to support his family back home.”
Beyond funeral and repatriation costs, the funds will be raised to help clear the debts taken by his parents in India for his education and relocation. “Rahul’s dreams were built on their sacrifices, and we want to ease the financial burden they are left carrying in the midst of unimaginable grief,” mentioned the page.
