Parks Canada has recovered the body of a 25-year-old American tourist who drowned after jumping into the frigid waters at Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park on May 1, 2026. The body of Pavlo “Pasha” Shemchuk, of Arizona, was found mid-day on May 26 in Johnston Creek downstream of the lower pool of the Lower Falls, nearly four weeks after he disappeared.
Shemchuk was visiting the popular tourist destination west of Banff, Alberta, with his cousin and best friend when he climbed over safety barriers and jumped into the water around 6:30 p.m. Witnesses said he had jumped twice before without incident, but on a third leap from a higher spot, he briefly surfaced before going under and never reemerging.
Banff RCMP and Parks Canada launched an extensive search that lasted from May 1 to May 4, but dangerous spring runoff conditions forced them to suspend recovery efforts. The water was fast-moving, near-freezing, and had almost no visibility, officials said.
The family hired private California diver Juan Heredia, who searched on May 20 and 21, but he too was unsuccessful. On May 26, a body was spotted in the creek, and Parks Canada closed the trail to recover it. RCMP later confirmed it was Shemchuk.
Staff Sgt. Mike Buxton-Carr of Banff RCMP said moving water is incredibly dangerous this time of year. “What is visible on the surface does not always represent what’s happening under the surface,” he said. Rivers can hide submerged rocks, sudden drop-offs, and strong currents. A similar drowning occurred near the Johnston Canyon Trail in 2015, when an Edmonton man died.
Shemchuk’s family had started a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs, which raised more than $21,000 of its $35,000 goal. He was a Ukrainian native who had been studying to become a doctor of physical therapy.
