Indiana Department of Natural Resources divers finally determined that Lake Michigan was safe to enter Wednesday morning and were able to recover the body of a 13-year-old boy, about 40 feet east of Michigan City’s Lighthouse Pier.
The boy is presumed to have drowned after he went underwater while swimming with friends at Washington Beach near the pier at 5:43 p.m. Monday. Beach hazard warnings and a Small Craft Advisory were in effect due to strong winds, waves, and dangerous rip currents. And there were no lifeguards on duty.
“On that day, there shouldn’t have been anybody in that water,” said DNR Conservation Officer Alex Neel during a news conference Wednesday morning at Michigan City Hall.
Three divers from the Michigan City Fire Department and an DNR diver were injured Monday evening during the initial rescue effort. Most of the injuries were sustained when the divers were slammed against boulders near the pier.
Neel wouldn’t release the victim’s name because he’s a juvenile. The LaPorte County Coroner’s office was also not releasing any information.
With conditions on the lake finally calming Wednesday morning, four INDR divers began their search at 6:45 a.m. and were able to locate the body at 7:45 a.m., Neel said.
The body was located in 11 feet of water, about 40 feet from the pier between the pier’s elbow bend and the lighthouse. It appeared to be more than 400 feet from the shore.
Neel said it’s believed that the boy was caught by a rip current and driven away from the shore.
The boy’s friends attempted to save him, but were unsuccessful.
The Michigan City Fire Department was the initial responder until the DNR took command.
Michigan City Fire Chief Barrett Taylor said that he went out himself on a boat on the lake for two hours until the search was called off because the conditions were deemed too dangerous.
Taylor said his department provided backup for the DNR recovery operation Wednesday morning.
Some private divers apparently attempted to search on their own Tuesday evening. Neel said that they were not sanctioned by his department or Michigan City Fire.
Taylor said his divers, as first responders Monday evening, were trying to rescue the teen. In response to a question, Taylor said he might review his department’s protocol in determining when conditions are too dangerous to enter Lake Michigan.
The boy’s drowning is believed to be the first Lake Michigan casualty in Indiana this summer season, Neel said.
There have been 23 drownings on the Great Lakes and 12 on Lake Michigan so far this year, not counting the one from Monday, David Benjamin, executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, has said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
