A trio of social media influencers — Ryker Gamble, Alexey Lyakh, and Megan Scraper — died tragically on Tuesday at Shannon Falls, a particularly dangerous waterfall near Squamish in BC, Canada. It is believed that while swimming in one of the pools near the top of the falls, Scraper slipped and fell. While trying to rescue her, Gamble and Lyakh slipped as well, and all three were dragged down by a strong current, dropping 30 meters over the pool’s ledge. Dive teams recovered the bodies on Wednesday morning.
Photo: Volodymyr Kyrylyuk/Shutterstock
Trio of Travel Influencers Killed at Shannon Falls in Canada
Ryker Gamble, one of the influencers found dead, was known for creating lively travel videos with his friends for their YouTube channel High on Life. They traveled all over the world, visiting destinations in Europe, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Canada, US, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Nepal, and Indonesia. Their Facebook page has over 126,000 followers, and their videos have gained a huge following on Instagram, reaching 1.1 million followers. Lyakh and Scraper (who had been dating for several years) also created video content for the YouTube channel High on Life Sundayfundayz, where they chronicled their travels around the world.
The trio had been friends since high school and remained close their entire lives. “In 2012,” they posted on their page, “we gave up our lease and set out on a big adventure around the world. It lasted seven months and took us to 14 countries and completely drained our bank accounts. We were hooked.”
While travel-based social media content has been on the rise recently, it’s important to remember that some thrills aren’t worth the likes. A waterfall might make an awesome video, but respecting the dangerous nature of waterfalls and exercising caution are crucial. 
H/T: The Squamish Chief