Rescued from the rocks

Members of the Port Washington Fire Department dive team in exposure suits (above) helped two kayakers off the rocks of the south breakwater Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 19, after the mother and son from Ohio found themselves in trouble on a choppy Lake Michigan. The pair had launched from south beach but found the waves and current too much to handle. Bystanders called 911 and the fire department and Ozaukee County Rescue Boat responded. One of the kayakers was helped aboard the Fire Department’s boat by rescue personnel (right photo). The mother was injured but refused transport, Fire Chief Mark Mitchell said. This was the third time this year the Rescue Boat responded to kayakers or paddleboarders in trouble, Ozaukee County Emergency Management Director Scott Ziegler said.                         Photos by Bill Schanen IV