Water Damage Restoration in Lake Orion, MI

April 21 (UPI) -- A Michigan man who became stuck up to his waist in "quicksand" on a Lake Michigan beach emerged without injuries -- and with a girlfriend.

Traverse City residents Mitchell O'Brien and Breanne Sika said they were searching for Leland blue stones at Reynolds Street Beach when O'Brien took a wrong step about 5 feet past the shoreline and sank into the sand.

"If it was obviously unstable, we would not have walked out on it," he told Mlive. "But it didn't look that bad. It just looked like wet sand by the time we were there. Most of it was firm enough to walk on."

O'Brien told The Detroit News that his first thought was actually, "Oh, not this again."

He explained the incident "isn't the first time I've dealt with something like this on the Great Lakes."

O'Brien said he was able to escape his previous predicament by flopping down on his backside, but this situation was considerably more sticky.

"My left leg, I couldn't move it. It's like there was something holding it underground. It was crazy how hard it was there," O'Brien said.

O'Brien and Sika, co-workers from the 217 Recovery Center clinic in Traverse City who had only recently started questioning whether their friendship could be something more, both called 911.

"Then, we both get through at the same time," he said. "And I just go, 'I think my girlfriend's trying to call, too.' And she, at the same time, about 20 feet away, says, 'my boyfriend is stuck in the sand.'"

"That was literally the first time we defined our relationship. It happened with two separate 911 operators at the same time," O'Brien said.

Firefighters arrived on scene and were able to pull O'Brien free from his predicament.

The patch of quicksand was found to have been caused by a hydraulic dredge charged with removing about 60,000 cubic yards of sand from the harbor bottom for the Van's and Reynolds Street public beaches.

Leland Township Fire Chief Dan Besson said signs are now being posted to warn beach visitors that the slurry from the dredging outwash could lead to dangerous situations.

"This is one of those rare things," Besson said. "It's the first time we've had an issue."

When Mitchell O'Brien and Breanne Sika set off to spend a day on a Lake Michigan beach hunting for rocks, neither expected one of them would fall victim to quicksand — nor that they would be calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend by the end of the day.

O'Brien, 37, and Sika, 36, had been friends for two years and had only recently begun to explore a potential romantic relationship after a mutual friend asked them why they weren't dating, given that they both liked each other. O'Brien and Sika said neither thought the other was interested in them romantically, and that query from a friend sparked a discussion.

On April 12, they did some yard work and decided to visit Van’s Beach, located in Leelanau County north of Traverse City, to look for Leland blue stones, O'Brien said. A nearby harbor in Leland was being dredged, but there were no warning signs, so they continued on to the beach, O'Brien said.

"At one point, Bre points to a spot on the beach which was right next to the water, and she goes, 'That looks really dangerous,'" O'Brien said. "I didn’t realize she was referring to a singular spot; I thought she meant the whole area. I ended up turning around and walking straight to that spot to see if there were any stones in the water."

O'Brien sank immediately into the sand, and within a second or two he was up to his waist, he said. He barely had time to get his keys and phone out of his pocket. The sand hardened fully around one foot, though he had been able to lift the other up into a semi-kneeling position.

He was stuck.

"(I was thinking) 'Oh not not this again,'" O'Brien said. "Because this isn't the first time I've dealt with something like this on the Great Lakes."

Last summer, he fell into some quicksand that had looked like dry sand, but he was able to fall back on his butt and shimmy out, he said. This time, he wasn't so lucky.

"I was thinking that he was going to be consumed by the earth and I was going to sit and watch him die. I was really quite terrified," Sika said, noting that this was her first experience with quicksand. "I was definitely in a panicked state because in my head I kept thinking, 'OK, if the sand gets to his chest, it may be too heavy for him to breathe. If nobody gets there quick enough, are we going to be able to get him out of this?'"

Sika said the sand looked "almost like a tornado in the water." The area O'Brien sank in had only about 2 inches of water, and Sika said the sand looked to be an odd consistency, like a combination of sand and Jello.

O'Brien tried for about 15 minutes to scoop the sand away from his body and dig himself out. But the Lake Michigan waves kept crashing into his back, piling new sand in the holes he had just dug. Sika tried to pull him out, but they quickly decided it was not working. Plus, it was too dangerous and they did not want both of them to end up stuck.

Despite being the one stuck waist-deep in quicksand, O'Brien said he was the calm one. He had Sika call 911, but they did not have great service, so he asked for his phone back and began calling as well.

The first time he got through, the connection was so bad the dispatcher thought he was a telemarketer and hung up on him, O'Brien said. He called right back, but this time the connection was better. Sika got through to someone around the same time.

"At the end of me telling them what's going on and where we are, I said 'I think my girlfriend is calling as well,'" O'Brien said. "She's like 20 feet away, and she was saying 'My boyfriend is here, stuck in the sand.' It was the first time we had called each other that."

Four firefighters arrived within five minutes, O'Brien said, and first tried to drag him out of the hole with a rope, like they were playing tug-of-war. One of the firefighters got behind O'Brien and started digging sand away and pushing at O'Brien, as the other three continued to pull from the front and O'Brien tried to claw his way out. Eventually, his foot broke free, and he was able to clamber back up onto the beach.

O'Brien wasn't injured; just sore, exhausted and very cold, he said. His hands were numb from scooping icy sand and water for so long. The weather had been in the 40s, and in mid-April, the water temperature was below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The weekend prior, they had their first date, O'Brien said, spending the day at a few other beaches hunting for rocks.

"For me it's still more funny," O'Brien said. "Even when I realized I couldn’t get out on my own, I knew where we were, we had been to that beach a hundred times. ... I knew it was going to be OK the entire time.

"But I put (Sika) through some emotional torment that day on accident."

Sika said the experience was entertaining in retrospect, but terrifying at the time. She decided to post about it on Facebook on April 13 to warn others, and her post went viral. Since then, she and O'Brien have been contacted by media from across the country, she said.

But O'Brien said they don't want their story to scare people away from the beaches. He has been going to beaches in that area his entire life and has only encountered quicksand twice.

O'Brien said he had Sika take photos of him waist-deep in the sand, because "nobody is gonna believe us" otherwise.

kberg@detroitnews.com

CHARLEVIOX, MI – This Lake Michigan lighthouse is among several places in one Up North town that the governor recently recognized for historic preservation.

The annual Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation recognizes historic preservation achievements across Michigan. This year’s seven awardees include the Charlevoix Historical Society for its many projects, including the restoration of the city’s iconic South Pier Lighthouse.

“These awardees are helping us build a stronger Michigan by preserving the places and stories that define who we are,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “Their work honors our shared past while creating vibrant spaces where people want to live, work, and invest.”

Historic preservation is also key to supporting jobs, growing local businesses and fostering community pride, she added.

The Charlevoix Historical Society and its partners were recognized for the long-term preservation of three historic places: Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse, Harsha House and Chicago & West Michigan Railroad depot.

RELATED: ‘Irreplaceable icons:’ 2 Northern Michigan lighthouses plan restoration with state grants

The South Pier Lighthouse came under local ownership in 2006, requiring a long-term plan for restoration. Local fundraising was paired with several successive Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program grants to replace corroded steel and concrete, repair ventilation equipment, repaint the lighthouse interior, and restore the exterior’s fire engine red color. The lighthouse remains the city’s most photographed landmark and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023.

Built in 1892, the Queen Anne-style Harsha House has been the home of the historical society and its museum for more than 45 years. Starting in 2016, a master plan for the property prioritized needed work, leading to a new roof, wood siding and masonry repairs, and a fresh repaint. On the interior, the foyer was restored, and other renovation work improved the society’s exhibit and artifact storage space.

Across town, the unused Chicago & West Michigan Railroad depot was gifted to the historical society in 1992. A phased rehabilitation effort began in 2018 to restore the original look of the building, including exterior restoration and a detailed paint analysis, which informed a complete repaint into historically appropriate colors. In 2023, a State Historic Preservation Office Certified Local Government program grant helped to fund a new roof for the depot building, which is now used as an event venue.

The society has also recently installed several large interpretive panels throughout the Charlevoix community, sharing historical information and photographs with residents and visitors.

The projects “reflect a deep commitment to preserving places that matter, not just for their architectural significance, but for the stories they tell about the people and communities that shaped our state,” said Ryan Schumaker, state historic preservation officer. “These projects help ensure that Michigan’s history remains a source of pride, identity, and opportunity for generations to come.”

"Deep Thought," the beloved boat stranded along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, has finally been brought ashore.

After months of being stranded in Lake Michigan, the boat known as "Deep Thought" has finally been removed in an operation that took over 12 hours to complete. The vessel will now be stored at the All City Towing lot for several months.

"I can't believe it," Milwaukee County Supervisor, Sheldon Wasserman said.

Watch: Abandoned boat finally removed from Milwaukee's lakefront:

Wasserman has been working for months to get the boat removed from the lake.

"I mean this is just absolutely a huge event for Milwaukee," Wasserman said. "I mean we have helicopters overhead, we have drones. We have hundreds who have been here, we have thousands who have been stopping."

Crews worked throughout the day to lift the extremely heavy boat out of the water. The project, which had faced numerous delays, encountered one final setback when the tires on the tow truck popped as it was leaving the lakefront area. After a brief pause, the journey continued.

The stranded boat had become something of a local attraction.

"The absurdity around it. People love it. There's momentum around it. People generally just wanna connect and play and what a fun way to do so," Alex Minik said.

Minik was one of many who came to witness the removal, having been at the scene since 6:30 a.m.

"We were blessed with a really nice day. Sunny, calm waters, so all the workers were able to get in that water," Minik said.

Minik and his friends made a day of the boat removal, enjoying the sunshine on the rocks near the lakefront.

"I brought some tortillas and queso. These guys had a nice little charcuterie rock when I showed up," said Minik.

When asked if it was crazy that Lincoln Memorial Drive had been closed all day because of the boat removal, Minik responded, "A lot of this is crazy to me."

Despite the unusual nature of the event, many observers felt it represented the spirit of their city.

"This is what Milwaukee is all about really," Milwaukee resident, John Lenz said. "It doesn't matter what it is. It's kind of nice that it's a neutral thing too. It's not sports or politics or anything to divide people. Ya know this is really a team game out here and everybody is on the same side."

According to Wasserman, the county has received some donations to cover the cost owed to All City Towing. There are likely plans to cut up the boat and sell parts of it.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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There is now another broken-down vessel in need of rescue along Milwaukee's Lake Michigan shoreline.

On April 28, Jerry Guyer, the owner of Silo Marina, once again attempted to salvage Deep Thought, a Chris-Craft Roamer, from its resting spot deep in the sand between McKinley Marina and Bradford Beach. In the process, a pontoon boat he and his salvage crew were using was washed up on the shoreline during evening storms, Guyer said.

Guyer said it was bad enough that the storm pushed the pontoon up on the sand, where it is now resting between Deep Thought and the rocks, but one of the aluminum floaters has completely broke off, too, and is floating farther down the beach.

"We are dealing with Mother Nature," Guyer told the Journal Sentinel on April 30. "That is always an unknown."

Guyer said the mounting pressure, public interest and publicity documenting his efforts to salvage the boat, which has been stranded since Oct. 13 when its owners from Mississippi ran out of gas and headed back home, "doesn't really bother me too much."

The pressure for him to get Deep Though removed amped up April 23. That's when Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson held a press conference, Guyer at his side, to announce an anonymous donor had come forward to pay for a portion of the cost to salvage the boat.

At the time, Guyer had estimated he'd spent $20,000 on the effort. Now, he has the cost of a destroyed pontoon boat to add to the cost.

It should be the responsibility of the boat owners to pay for its removal. But Sherry and Richard Wells have avoided phone calls and are no longer communicating with Guyer. In early April, Milwaukee County finally admitted the boat was lodged on its property. But no one from the county is stepping up with any solutions, other than to say county taxpayers will not foot the bill for the boat's removal.

"It is the nature of the unknown," Guyer said of any salvage effort. "This thing has taken on a life of its own."

Jessica Van Egeren is a reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at jvanegeren@gannett.com.