GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A kayaker most likely enjoying the spring-like temperatures along the Grand River Wednesday went over a dam.
Shane Parwey, who owns Peel N Drag Guide Service, had been fishing with some friends for hours when he spotted the man headed downstream just before noon.
"I yelled at the guy, I said, 'I wouldn't do that I wouldn't go any farther.' And he just kind of looked at us and kind of ignored us. And that's when he got close to the edge. And he just went right off the edge of the dam. And we saw him tumble one time I pulled my anchor up and fired my boat up and we went downstream to save him," Parwey said.
With the water temperature at 35 degrees, just a few degrees above freezing, the fishing-turned-rescue boat had to act fast.
Two people on the boat grabbed the kayaker's clothes and pulled him on board to safety.
"He was caught in the circulating current under the dam. It kept pulling him under. Actually my friend Jacob put my landing net out for him to grab. And he threw one arm in the net and we pulled them close to the boat and that's when Angelo and Tyler pulled them into the boat the rest of the way. I was controlling the boat making sure that we're staying where we belonged." Parwey explained.
The kayaker was in complete shock once rescued.
"His eyes were huge. And he couldn't really move his limbs very well. And my friends on the boat were trying to pull him out and he was just dead weight. He couldn't really move. So luckily, we're there to help. I'm just glad he's okay," Parwey said.
This wasn't the first kayaker Parwey helped pull from the Grand River, and he wants to send an important message to those enjoying the water.
"Just be safe. Be careful. Remember that the water is very cold, especially people that get out on these early nice days. They think that, hey, the air is warm, but this water is still freezing. You will not last long in this water if you're trying to kayak and you go overboard," Parwey said.
The Grand River has many dams in Grand Rapids.
Low-head dams are often known as "drowning machines," and can be very dangerous to swimmers, kayakers and others who are in the water near them.
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