CLEVELAND – The Coast Guard rescued a man from Lake Erie Friday afternoon after he fell out of his kayak.
At 3:30 p.m., search-and-rescue controllers at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo received a report of a man wearing a life jacket clinging to his kayak in Lake Erie near the mouth of the Buffalo River.
The search-and-rescue controller directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Buffalo boat crew aboard a 25-foot response boat.
The rescue crew arrived on scene and retrieved the man and his kayak from the water and returned them safely to shore.
“It is the responsibility of all boaters to ensure that they have all of the required safety equipment onboard their boat before getting underway,” said Mike Baron, the recreational boating safety specialist for the Coast Guard 9th District in Cleveland.
“Each piece of equipment, such as a proper fitting life jacket, is vital to the safety of everyone on your boat and on the water.”
The Coast Guard also recommends that boaters take a personal locator beacon along with them when heading out to enjoy the water. Once a PLB is activated, it can transmit your position to rescuers within three feet via satellite, essentially taking the search out of search-and-rescue.
