Teenage paddleboarders rescued from Lake Michigan – NBC Chicago

Two suburban teenagers were rescued from Lake Michigan Wednesday afternoon after their paddleboards were swept from shore by gusty winds and strong currents.

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, deputies from the Marine Unit were patrolling near the Lake Bluff shoreline when they observed two 16-year-olds floating more than a mile from shore.

The teens, one from Lake Bluff and the other from Wauconda, were both paddleboarding and were being pushed farther out onto the lake by winds and currents, officials said.

Neither teen was wearing a life vest and neither had a cell phone or other emergency communications device, police said.

The two teenagers were rescued by the maritime unit and brought ashore unharmed.

This successful rescue comes amid a growing number of tragic incidents on the lake. A boater went missing in Chicago's 'park' over the weekend, while a woman died after her sailboat capsized in the lake off Winnetka.

A 16-year-old boy died after his raft overturned on the lake, while two other people were rescued after venturing into a no-swimming area near Montrose Beach in Chicago.