DILLON, Colo. — Multiple people had to be rescued from Dillon Reservoir on Saturday after a windstorm caused difficult conditions for boaters.
At about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the windstorm hit Dillon Reservoir, prompting multiple water rescues by the Summit County Sheriff's Office boat rangers and staff from the Dillon Marina.
Kevin Kelble, a Summit County Sheriff's Office boat ranger, said the lake can get winds up to 40 mph and waves 2 to 4 feet high in a matter of seconds.
"And that’s exactly what happened on Saturday," Kelble said. "We went from a relatively calm day on the lake to all of a sudden, very violent and people got caught off guard."
The first call was for a capsized kayak with a man in the water and his boat drifting toward Roberts Tunnel, according to the sheriff's office. While crews were responding to the kayaker, they received another call for a pontoon boat with 13 people aboard that was being blown against the rocky shore of the reservoir's Snake River Arm, the sheriff's office said.
"60 seconds to 2 minutes where it all went boom, boom, boom," Kelble said.
Dillon Marina personnel continued to assist the kayaker in the water while the sheriff's ranger responded to the pontoon boat call. The kayaker was taken to Summit Medical Center to be treated for hypothermia, according to the sheriff's office.
When the sheriff's ranger arrived to the pontoon boat, the boat had beached on the rocks below the Summerwood neighborhood, the sheriff's office said. All 13 passengers were safe.
The sheriff's ranger then saw an empty canoe and found a man and a woman in the water about a quarter mile away, according to the sheriff's office. The couple had been in the water for about 30 minutes and were hypothermic, the sheriff's office said.
"In this cold water, you experience what we call 'cold shock' and if that happens, you’ll lose the ability to tread water and swim, and that happens in 90 seconds or a little bit longer, it’s going to be 120 seconds, and you’re gonna sink like a stone," Kelble said. "Without those life jackets, those people definitely would have died."
Kelble said it's required all people on the waters of Lake Dillon have an age-appropriate life jacket within reach before entering. He said children under 13 are required to wear one at all times.
"The single most important thing on this lake is life jackets," Kelble said. "This is a cold water environment, cold water lake and if you don’t have a life jacket, you’re going to have a difficult time surviving."
The couple were taken to the Frisco Marina and received warm showers and a change of clothes, according to the sheriff's office.
In addition to life vests, Kelble said people at Lake Dillon should have lights if they are in the reservoir at night, a sound-producing device, and a throwable life preserver or a 'Type IV throwable cushion' if they are on a boat.
"This was the first weekend of 2024 Sheriff's Office operations on Lake Dillon," said Summit County Sheriff Jamie FitzSimons. "I’m so proud of the professionalism our boat rangers and marina personnel bring as they save lives every week on this lake. High alpine lakes, like Dillon Reservoir, are extremely dangerous. Even exceptionally strong swimmers can find their muscles seize when falling into 43-degree water. Without a PFD, drowning is likely; we see it every year.”
The water temperature in Dillon Reservoir is currently 43 degrees Fahrenheit.
Everyone rescued was wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) which was crucial in saving their lives, the sheriff's office said. PFDs are required for all watercraft in Colorado, including paddleboards and other hand-powered watercraft.
The Sheriff’s Office and Frisco Marina, in conjunction with the Sea Tow Foundation, have a free life jacket loaner program. These stations are set up at the Frisco Marina and the Sheriff’s Office Rangers Station at the Pine Cove campground.
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