An 11-year-old boy and his stepfather are safe thanks to a former lifeguard and an alert boater who rescued them on Labor Day.
It happened at Pere Marquette Beach, near Muskegon. That’s where Sherri Talcott noticed dangerous conditions.
"Being experienced with Lake Michigan, I said, 'Wow, look at this weather today, it looks rough. I hope we won't lose someone today.'"
Talcott was walking on the beach when she stopped to talk to a man, Jont Muni, who had a camera. They both noticed the boy, struggling in the water.
"I asked the gentleman, 'Jont,' I said, 'Does he look like he's in distress?' He said, 'I'm not sure.' We watched longer and sure enough, he was going out further, drifting out," Talcott said.
Talcott got a life jacket and put her lifeguarding skills to use. She says the boy's stepfather was also struggling, so she headed out with a life jacket.
"I never intended on going in," Talcott said. "I only went in because the father was in distress ... The boy was treading very well, and I was focusing on holding the dad up. He was in shock at that point."
As all three were holding on to the PFD, a boater, pulled up. He threw out another life jacket and extended a pole.
"He was able to get us all up into the boat," Talcott said.
Shortly after that, the Michigan DNR showed up and all three were taken to the Coast Guard Station. The boy was fine and the father was briefly treated at the scene.
Those involved in the rescue want this to be a lesson for everyone to use caution when swimming in Lake Michigan.