A man from Deer Lake is raising the alarm about cell phone connectivity following a scary incident involving his 91-year-old father over the weekend.

Chris Young says he and his father were out fishing on a pond near Deer Lake Saturday when their boat overturned.

Young was able to get his dad back on the boat, and then he swam to shore to call for help.

He says he got to the top of a hill, which was about 4 km from the Trans Canada Highway, and tried to call 911 but there was no service. Young then walked for another 2 km and still could not get any service. Eventually he was able to see the cell tower and still could not make the call.

Young says he called 911 about seven times to no avail.

Eventually, he was able to get through to his uncle. He, along with a few others, were able to get the boat to shore and get the man to safety.

Young says his dad is okay now, but he is shaken up by the incident.

Young says he later called his local RCMP detachment to inform them of the situation, and they told him that he should have been able to get a 911 call out. With his voice cracking, Young wonders what would have happened to his father if he could not have gotten hold of his uncle.