Tragedy after young Arizona tourist jumped into fast-moving waters during trip to Canada's famous Banff National Park

By ELIOT FORCE, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:56, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 16:57, 27 May 2026 An Arizona tourist's lifeless body was recently recovered nearly a month after he drowned when jumping off a waterfall in a Canadian national park. Pavlo Shemchuk, 25, was visiting Banff National Park with his cousin and best friend when he made the plunge from the cliffs at Johnston Canyon on May 1.  When he did not emerge from the water in the Lower Falls below, a multi-day search ensued. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) closed the area and looked for the young tourist from May 1 through May 4 before he was officially presumed dead. The search effort was called off due to dangerous water conditions. Shemchuk's family called for the search to resume, but officials continued to deem conditions too dangerous.  The family hired a private diver from California named Juan Heredia to look for the young man's body. Parks Canada, which operates Banff National Park, closed Johnston Canyon on May 20 until the morning of May 21 to allow the second, private search to take place, but Heredia was still unable to locate Shemchuk.  On Tuesday, a body was found washed up downstream of the waterfalls’ lower pool and reported to the RCMP and Parks Canada around midday, according to a press release Parks Canada shared with the Calgary Herald.  Pavlo Shemchuk, 25, drowned after jumping from a waterfall in Canada's Banff National Park on May 1 Authorities searched for Shemchuk from May 1 through May 4 before he was presumed dead. His body was found downstream from the waterfall on Tuesday Shemchuk jumped into the water beneath Lower Falls in Johnston Canyon (pictured) but did not reemerge. It took nearly a month for his body to be found The area was once again closed to the public as police responded and identified Shemchuk's remains. His body has been transferred to the RCMP.  'Parks Canada extends its sincere condolences to the individual’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,' the press release said.  Shemchuk’s aunt, Olha Dishchuk, told the Rocky Mountain Outlook that her nephew was originally from Ukraine and had lived in the US for the past eight years.  Despite his limited knowledge of English, he graduated high school with good grades in Philadelphia before pursuing higher education in Arizona, the aunt said. He was studying to become a doctor of physical therapy, she added.  The young man's girlfriend, Nicolette Babbe, told the outlet that Shemchuk had already jumped from the cliffs once and been fine before he climbed to a higher spot and jumped again. It was after the second plunge that he did not reemerge. On a GoFundMe page organized by Shemchuk's family to pay for body recovery expenses, funeral costs and other unexpected financial obligations, the family said: 'We are heartbroken to share the tragic loss of our dear Pasha.' 'Pasha was deeply loved by everyone who knew him. He was kind, genuine, and brought light and laughter to the people around him,' the family added.  Shemchuk’s family described him as 'kind' and 'genuine' and said that he 'brought light and laughter to the people around him' The trail to Lower Falls in Banff National Park is pictured. Shemchuk was visiting with a cousin and his best friend The GoFundMe has raised around $27,000 of its $35,000 goal as of Wednesday afternoon. The Daily Mail has reached out to Parks Canada and the RCMP for comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.