A 33-year-old man from Rocky View County died after drowning at Quarry Lake in Canmore, Alberta, on the evening of August 1, 2026. Emergency crews were called to the popular swimming spot around 5:40 p.m. after reports of a missing swimmer, but they were unable to revive him.
Witnesses said the man disappeared underwater and did not resurface, despite several people trying to locate him. He was not wearing a lifejacket. Responders from Canmore RCMP, Alberta Conservation Officers, and Canmore Fire and Emergency Services found him underwater and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The drowning was one of two fatal water incidents in southern Alberta that day. Earlier, a 35-year-old Mexican man died after cliff jumping at Nature’s Hideaway Campground in Foothills County.
Quarry Lake has no lifeguards and its water is glacier-fed and cold, which can overwhelm even strong swimmers within seconds. The lake has seen similar tragedies before, with drownings in 2015 and 2017. After those deaths, the Town of Canmore worked with the Alberta Lifesaving Society on a safety audit in 2017, which led to improved signage and lifesaving equipment.
RCMP continue to investigate the drowning and remind swimmers to use caution at Quarry Lake and other waterways. The man’s body was taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Calgary, and the lake was temporarily closed during the investigation.
