The kayaker DID get out of Echo Lake alive

Rescue swimmers and divers gather to search Echo Lake for a missing kayaker.
Photo by Michael Wansley

By Diane Hettrick

There is a loose network of neighbors who live along the shores of Echo Lake. There is a core group called Friends of Echo Lake, who come together to clear invasive vegetation and plant native plants in Echo Lake Park.

Lakeside neighbors talk to each other but it can take a while for information to travel.

The west and south side of the lake are lined with multi-story buildings, so there are many eyes on the lake.

Now I have been told that one of those lakeside residents actually saw a soaking wet man, wearing a life vest, on shore the day the kayak was found floating in the center of the lake. 

She noted it but didn't tell anyone until this weekend.

The bigger buildings have security cameras for the area around the building. The management of one of those buildings just reviewed their footage and discovered they had captured a shot of a very wet male in a life jacket.

So everyone can breathe a sigh of relief and quit waiting for a body to float to the surface of the lake.

Many questions remain. Can this person be identified from the security footage? Was the kayak stolen and that's why it was left floating in the middle of the lake? Or did the kayaker decide that he never wanted to see a kayak again and just crawled away?

The kayakers who live around the lake have never seen the kayak before, so he had to bring it in.

Our Fire Department spent hours searching the lake after getting a call for an upside down kayak floating in the center of Echo Lake on May 18, 2024.

The KCSO marine unit spent almost as many hours. It's good to know they are there for us and will continue to search diligently, even when they suspect there is nothing to be found.