High winds and choppy water led to a multi-person water rescue Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 4 around 4 p.m. near the D.H. Day Campground area, north of the cannery in Glen Haven, with all four people involved returned safely to shore.
According to Glen Lake Fire Department (GLFD), two paddleboarders were blown offshore by gusting wind.
A bystander swam out to try to reach them, and a kayaker then went out after that swimmer, putting four people in the water at once. The paddleboarders made it back to shore on their own.
The kayaker, however, went into the water at some point after his kayak capsized in the chop, though he managed to hold onto it. GLFD located him roughly 300 to 500 yards offshore and pulled him from the water, according to GLFD Chief Bryan Ferguson. All four were a part of the same party or family.
"He had fallen out of the kayak at some point, but he had been able to stick with his kayak," Ferguson said. "So we were able to locate him and just swing him, pick him up, and, obviously, we got him in the kayak back."
Ferguson said the kayaker was wearing a personal flotation device, which he credited with helping keep him safe in the cold, rough water.
"He did have a PFD on and everything, so that definitely helped, but that water, it turned over again. So it's cold out there again," he said.
Ferguson recalled that a bystander at the scene said the kayaker initially resisted putting on a life jacket before heading out to help, but was persuaded to wear one, and eventually capsized in Sleeping Bear Bay.
GLFD Lieutenant Steve Lienard described the operation as running smoothly from dispatch to recovery.
"Dispatched, and launched quickly, and got there. I don't know what the time frame was, but from down there, it was pretty quick," he said.
Lienard noted the area is prone to sudden wind shifts that can catch paddlers off guard even when conditions look calm from shore.
"Even right now, down in Glen Haven, you're getting sand hitting you in the face; it's so windy down there, and you don't feel that at all right now (Glen Arbor)," Ferguson said. "But a lot of people get that, and it blows them offshore."
