2 Kayakers Rescued After Capsizing On Lake Huron

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, MI — Officials on Thursday morning rescued two kayakers from Lake Huron in St. Clair County, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The two Ohio kayakers were roughly 1 mile offshore when they capsized in the lake, officials said.

DNR Officers Chris Kravitsky and Mark Siemen were patrolling the area when they saw the two people clinging to one kayak, officials said.

The water was roughly 25 feet deep and only 43 degrees Fahrenheit, officials.

The officers pulled them from the water and were able to drain and secure the kayaks on their patrol boat, officials said.

The kayakers said they were in the water for roughly an hour, though the officers believe it was closer to 20 to 30 minutes, officials said.

Officials said neither kayaker was wearing a life jacket.

Family members, who were on shore witnessed the incident and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard in Detroit, officials said.

The kayakers, a 32-year-old man and his 36-year-old wife from Westerville, Ohio, were staying at a lakeside vacation home in the area, officials said.

The couple told officials that increasingly strong winds began pushing them farther from shore, causing them to panic. The wife's kayak overturned first, and when her husband attempted to assist, both kayaks capsized, leaving them stranded, officials said.

The man was suffering from cold exposure and was highly distressed, officials said.

The woman suffered a significant cut to her foot and, due to a recent surgery on her right arm, required special care removing her from the water, officials said.

Officers provided first aid for the wife’s foot while on the patrol boat before returning to shore, officials said.

The couple refused additional medical treatment, officials said.