A pair of Ohio vacationers were rescued by DNR officers from 43-degree Lake Huron on Thursday, June 4, after their kayaks capsized, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers Chris Kravitsky and Mark Siemen were patrolling about a mile offshore of southern Sanilac and northern St. Clair counties in 25-foot waters at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday when they saw an overturned kayak. Farther out, they saw two people clinging to one kayak.
The kayakers, a husband, 32, and wife, 36, from Westerville, Ohio, had been kayaking while staying at a lakeside vacation home and were not wearing life jackets, the DNR said in a release.
When rescued, the man was suffering from cold exposure and was highly distressed, the release said. The wife had sustained a “significant cut” to her foot and, due to a recent surgery on her right arm, required special care removing her from the water.
Officers provided first aid for the wife’s foot while on the patrol boat before returning to shore. The couple refused additional medical treatment. The officers were able to drain and secure the kayaks on their patrol boat.
The couple estimated they had been in the water for approximately an hour, though officers believe the actual time was closer to 20 to 30 minutes.
Family members on shore witnessed the incident and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard in Detroit.
According to the couple, increasing offshore winds began pushing them farther from shore, and they panicked. The wife’s kayak overturned first, and when her husband attempted to assist, his kayak capsized, leaving them stranded.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: DNR officers rescue kayakers from 43-degree Lake Huron. What happened
Reporting by Dan Basso, USA TODAY NETWORK / Lansing State Journal
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By Dan Basso, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
