Two Men Rescued On Runaway Air Mattress In Lake Michigan

OZAUKEE COUNTY, WI — An air mattress might make for a lovely addition to a pool or small pond, but two adults this week found out the hard way that it was a very bad idea to test the waters of Lake Michigan with one.

On Tuesday night just before 6 p.m., Sheriffs in Ozaukee County received numerous calls that two children were floating in an air mattress several hundred yards offshore - and that prevailing winds were pushing them further out into the lake.

Witnesses reported they were several hundred yards off shore in Lake Michigan off South Beach in Port Washington.

The Ozaukee County Rescue Boat along with Port Washington Fire Department Fire Boat, Dive Rescue, Paramedics and Port Washington Police all responded.

When they arrived, they found, in fact, that two grown men had been on an air mattress and had drifted out further than they intended due to the wind direction and speed.

"Above all an air mattress is never an appropriate choice for use on Lake Michigan as a recreational craft," the Sheriff's office said in a prepared statement.

According to authorities, neither man was wearing a life jacket nor did they have access to any flotation devices - other than their air mattress. Contrary to initial reports, no children were involved in the incident. Authorities stated that eyewitnesses were looking at the tiny craft and its two occupants from a significant distance.

The two men were eventually rescued on their air mattress, and were assisted back to Port Washington Marina. There were no injuries reported.

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