HOLLAND (WHTC) — A missing Holland-area boy was one of two teens who fell into Lake Michigan after the small boat their were in took a sharp turn near Holland State Park beach Sunday evening.
A nearby boater picked up one of the 16-year-old boys and immediately called 911, said Ottawa County Sheriff’s Capt. John Wolffis late Sunday. The rescue boy lost sight of his friend, Wolffis said, and police were trying to triangulate the signal of the Good Samaritan’s phone.
Five marine-rescue crews took to the waters along the Lake Michigan shoreline; two with divers and two with side sonars, searching for the teen.
The boat was recovered in about 20 feet of water, of the shoreline near Spyglass Condominiums, Wolffis said, but the boat’s location wasn’t a good indicator of where the boys had been dumped because it kept moving though the water after the incident. The rescued teen wasn’t found until five or 10 minutes after the incident. He told police he had lost sight of his friend shortly after they went into the water, Wolffis said. It’s unclear whether the small boat was equipped with personal flotation devices or whether either boy was using one at the time the boat tipped.
The park closed early and most of the boats on the lake that were visible from shore returned to their slips.
The call for help came in at 8:40 p.m. Emergency responders were on shore, on boats in the water (including two dive teams) side-scan sonar equipment and a submersible. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, and, after dark, a small plane flew in to help with the search.
Wolffis said the search was happening in near-ideal conditions, because skies were clear and the water was relatively calm. Searchers continued looking for hours after dark, though police were reluctant to call it a recovery mission during a 10:30 p.m. press conference.
The boys appear to have come to the beach together, without other family members, Wolffis said.
Wolffis said boaters should wear personal flotation devices; boaters who find someone in the water should call 911 immediately, he said and “mark the GPS coordinates as soon as they can, because everything moves.”
