Lady Duck

The Lady Duck was a small amphibious tour vehicle converted from a Ford pickup truck by the builders of the Lady Dive tour bus. Built in 2000, it carried ten passengers and two crew on tours of the Ottawa River for Amphibus Lady Dive Inc.

Incidents

On 30 June 2001 the Lady Duck took on water during a tour; all eight passengers and both crew were taken safely ashore, but the vehicle capsized and sank while being pulled out of the water. After an investigation by the Transportation Safety Board it was certified to return to service.

On 23 June 2002, on its second tour of the day, the Lady Duck began taking water at the bow near Jacques Cartier Park, within sight of the Hull marina and Parliament Hill. It sank bow first very quickly, in about 12 metres of water. Eight people escaped and were picked up by recreational boaters, but four passengers, a mother and her two children and an older woman, were trapped inside and died. The lack of properly equipped rescue divers at the scene was criticised in press reports.