MUNISING, MI-- U.S. Coast Guard in Sault Sainte Marie led an exhaustive international search for two people that went into the water while kayaking near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Thursday, Sep. 16, 2021.
The initial call came in at around 8:30 p.m. from a mariner stating they were in the water and in distress. Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie launched a response boat from Small Boat Station Marquette and a rescue helicopter from Air Station Traverse City. Both assets searched late into the night in arduous conditions.
“Our crews braved difficult search conditions with winds blowing at over 30 knots and seas of five to seven feet,” said Capt. Anthony Jones, Sector Commander in Sault Sainte Marie.
A first light search commenced early this morning and involved Coast Guard boats and helicopters as well as C-130s from the Canadian Coast Guard and Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, NC. Surface assets from the National Park Service searched the shoreline along Pictured Rocks while Alger County response teams searched from land. A fixed wing asset from the Civil Air Patrol also aided in the search.
Both bodies were recovered a few miles offshore from Pictured Rocks. Resuscitation efforts were attempted for both but were not successful.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those lost. We searched for them as if they were members of our own family,” said Cmdr. Mike Courtney, Search and Rescue Mission Controller for the northern Great Lakes. “While I am saddened by the outcome, I couldn’t be more proud of the crews from the Coast Guard and our counterparts in Canada for their tireless efforts.”
The search covered more than 516 square miles and used assets from the U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian Coast Guard, National Park Service, and the Civil Air Patrol, and the Alger County Sheriff’s Department.
