Teen saves himself after falling through Lake Huron ice shelf

A Guelph, Ont. teenager is lucky to be alive after falling through the ice near the shores of Lake Huron.

“This was definitely a life threatening situation. We find a lot of people are posing for pictures or videos out on the ice. It can go from a simple photo to a life threatening situation in a moment,” said Const. Craig Soldan of the Huron County OPP.

Soldan said the 16-year-old’s girlfriend called 9-1-1 after seeing her boyfriend fall into the frigid waters of Lake Huron, south of Bayfield, Ont. near Westdell Drive, around noon on Feb. 19.

The teen was amazingly able to pull himself out of the freezing water and back onto shore and into a nearby cottage before members of the Huron County OPP, Huron County EMS, and Bluewater Fire Department arrived on scene.

Const, Craig Soldan of Huron County OPP points out the ice shelves where a Guelph teen fell through on Sunday, Feb. 19., South of Bayfield, Ont. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“If you fall into the water here, it’s so cold your first gasp of air will be possibly water. And it won’t take long [until] you’re submerged. It’s difficult to rescue someone from these ice shelves,” said Soldan.

In February of 2021, a pair of hikers had to be rescued from an ice flow that separated from the mainland near Tobermory, Ont.

While the Great Lakes ice coverage is at its lowest point in years, sitting at 7 per cent, the ice that remains is jammed up on shore and is no more safe than if it stretched a kilometre off shore.

Dangers of ice shelf graphic. (Source: Tom Gil/Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project)

“Huron County has over 100 kilometres of lake front here on Lake Huron. We’ve got a lot of area to cover. We just want to ensure everyone’s safe,” added Soldan.

Soldan said the same precautions apply to ice-covered rivers. They may look safe, but conditions can change in a moment, and the currents and waves under the ice can drag you away from where you entered in a heartbeat.