Dramatic Coast Guard Rescue Unfolds on Lake Michigan Pier

The U.S. Coast Guard covers around 6,700 miles of shoreline across the Great Lakes, which includes the five Great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and the 1,500-mile international border with Canada.

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On Sunday night, the U.S. Coast Guard received a call about four people who became trapped on a pier by big waves from Lake Michigan.

A helicopter crew from the Traverse City Air Station sprang into action, heading to the Frankfort North Pier.

When they got to the pier, they saw that big waves were making it unsafe for the two fishermen and a teenage girl to return to shore.

Frankfort Police Chief Mark Ketz told local media that the lighthouse is approximately 1,800 feet from shore and that the direction of the wind and the waves shifted within 20 minutes.

“The wave height didn’t change, but the amount of waves that were crashing over the pier and amount of water that was actually coming over the top of and onto the surface of the pier increased dramatically."

Read More: 25 Things Michigan Is Known And Famous For

According to reports the waves got as high as 30 feet.

Could you imagine seeing waves the height of a three story building?

Thankfully, everyone is ok and made it back to shore safely.

The U.S. Coast Guard had another brave rescue earlier this month at the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven

An elderly man lost his balance while resting on his walker and fell into the Grand River.

Several U.S. Coast Guard seamen jumped into the water and with some help were able to get him back up onto the pier.