The U.S. Coast Guard helped rescue four kayakers after they became stranded in the open waters of Lake Erie near Port Bruce.
Three youths were out kayaking around 9 p.m on Tuesday when high winds and large waves left them unable to paddle back to shore. As they were pushed out into open water, an adult who was also out kayaking attempted to save the trio, but ended up getting into trouble as well.
Two boaters were able to successfully pluck two of the kayakers from the water, while the other two remained stranded. That's when a U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter was sent from Cleveland. It arrived on scene around 10:10 p.m.
A coast guard diver was dropped into the water and remained with the two stranded kayakers until they were pulled from the water, about 10 minutes later.
Paramedics treated one of the youths for mild hypothermia.
All four kayakers were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident, which likely saved their lives, Elgin OPP said.
Shout out to the U.S Coast Guard for assistance in rescuing 4 kayaker's from Lake Erie last night #ElginOPP. @USCGGreatLakes deployed a rescue swimmer via helicopter until the 4 could be picked up by a boat. One subject suffered mild hypothermia. All wearing #lifejackets? ^tc pic.twitter.com/qMwdbgPfCh
— OPP West Region (@OPP_WR) June 24, 2020