Kayakers rescued from Lake Erie off Port Bruce

Elgin Ontario Provincial Police Constable Troy Carlson reported that the U.S. Coast Guard assisted police and local boaters with the rescue of four kayakers, three of them 14 years old and one adult, from Lake Erie just south of Port Bruce on Tuesday night, June 23.

The three youths, all from the Aylmer and Malahide area, were out kayaking on the lake, he said, but got into trouble when they realized they couldn’t paddle back to shore because of very rough and windy conditions at around 9:05 p.m.

Witnesses on shore called police, stating the kayakers were being pushed further offshore into open water.

An adult tried to kayak out to the three teens, but also got into trouble.

Local boaters plucked two of the kayakers from the water, and the Canadian Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Kingston called in a USCG helicopter, which arrived at 10:10 p.m.

The Coast Guard helicopter dropped a rescue swimmer into the lake, who remained with the two kayakers still in the water until they could be picked up by boat and returned to shore.

One youth was treated by paramedics for mild hypothermia, Const. Carlson said.

Malahide Fire Service was also at the scene, helping with the rescue.

Const. Carlson said all the kayakers had been wearing life jackets, which “was a key component in their survival.”