A Brampton man is counting his lucky stars and thanking a pair of local teens after a harrowing ordeal on Lake Erie near Leamington on Tuesday, July 8.
The man, who did not want to be identified, is down here working in the area. He rented a personal watercraft (Jet Ski) from a local company on Tuesday and made a trek out onto the lake, eventually finding himself on the east side of Point Pelee where the water conditions suddenly changed.
Things were going fine until he lost control a couple hundred feet out from shore in some choppy waters.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Lyla Kivell was practicing her guitar in her bedroom at her family’s home on East Beach Road in Leamington when she saw the watercraft flip and noticed that the man seemed to be in some distress.
She ran to get her brother Cal, 15, who has lifeguard training. The soon-to-be Grade 11 student at Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School immediately jumped into action as Lyla called their parents — Lindsay and Graham — who in turn called 9-1-1.
Cal wasted no time getting into the water behind his home, donning a life jacket and taking another with him.
“He looked like he was really struggling,” says Cal. “I grabbed the lifejackets and jumped in.”
As Cal got into the water and began swimming toward the stranded jet-skier, he fought the current and realized what was at stake.
“It was so much further than I expected,” he said. “He was exhausted.”
The rescued man spoke to the Sun on Thursday and said he’s grateful for Cal’s quick thinking.
“It was a hot day and I just wanted to go swimming,” he said. “I saw a jet ski rental and thought I’d go out for a little adventure, but the water didn’t cooperate, and I eventually hit a wave and flipped it.”
He spent quite a while afloat before Cal got to him.
“I was trying to get back on the machine, but was having no luck and that just exhausted me,” he said. “I’m forever grateful to Cal for his help. He’s an angel.”
Once Cal reached him, he threw him the spare life jacket and began to pull him toward shore.
“In the moment, we were both pretty nervous,” says Cal. “But I just kept reassuring him that we were going to get there.”
The waves and current had pulled them way past where Cal originally entered the water and he could hear sirens approaching. It wasn’t long before he saw three OPP officers along the rocks — a welcomed sight.
After quite a swim, the pair made it onto shore and were checked out by police, and the machine was eventually recovered by the rental company.
Now that they’ve had time to soak it all in, Cal and Lyla are going to get on with their summer, but Cal says after the ordeal was over and everyone was okay, it really hit him.
“It made me feel the emotions,” he says.
Lindsay Kivell says that she’s proud of what her children did in the moment of need.
“Graham and I couldn’t be prouder of these two, working together as a team while we were at a church meeting,” she said. “It’s been an emotional week and we’re so thankful for God’s protection and the clear plan He has for this man.”
OPP officers wait for the pair to reach them.
Photo courtesy of Kivell family
