The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is urging caution this summer after it pulled three people from the Dillon Reservoir over the holiday weekend following a windstorm that led to simultaneous emergency responses.

No one was hurt when the windstorm struck around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, but all three people were hypothermic when they were pulled from the ice-cold water, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

All three people were wearing personal flotation devices, or PFDs, which Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons credited with saving their lives.

“High-Alpine lakes, like Dillon Reservoir, are extremely dangerous,” FitzSimons said in a statement. “Even exceptionally strong swimmers can find their muscles seize when falling into 43-degree water. Without a PFD, drowning is likely. We see it every year.”

Rescuers first received a call for a capsized kayak, but, as the team responded, another report came in of a pontoon boat with 13 people in it being blown against the rocky shore of the reservoir’s Snake River arm, the release states.

The rescue team split up. Personnel from the Dillon Marina located the hypothermic kayaker, whose kayak was drifting away toward the Roberts Tunnel, and pulled him from the water, according to the release. He was transported to St. Anthony Summit Hospital. 

A ranger with the Sheriff’s Office reportedly responded to the pontoon boat to find it had beached on the rocks below the Summerwood neighborhood with all of the occupants safe.

But that’s when the ranger spotted an empty canoe and managed to locate a couple floating in the water about a quarter-mile from where the canoe capsized in Heaton Bay, the release states. 

The man and woman had reportedly been in the water for 30 minutes and were hypothermic. After being pulled on board the Sheriff’s rescue boat, Marine One, the couple was treated and transported to the Frisco Marina, where they received warm showers and a change of clothes.

FitzSimons noted that this was the first weekend for most recreational activities on the Dillon Reservoir. Under Colorado law, anyone under 13 must wear a life jacket at all times while anyone over 13 must have a life jacket with the proper size and fit on the vessel with them. All vessels, including kayaks and paddleboards, are also required to have a sound producing device, like a whistle. It is recommended to wear a leash when paddleboarding on flat water.

In 2022, three people died on the Dillon Reservoir, putting it among the deadliest waterways in the state that year. All three of those local deaths shared one characteristic — none of the recreationalists were wearing PFDs.

The Sheriff’s Office and Frisco Marina, in conjunction with the Sea Tow Foundation, have a free life jacket loaner program with stations located at the Frisco Marina and the Sheriff’s Office Ranger Station at Pine Cove campground.

At 9,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains, wind and thunderstorms can seemingly come out of nowhere over the mountains, so boaters and paddlers should check the forecast before heading out and throughout the day.

The rangers that patrol the Dillon Reservoir enforce rules related to life jackets and can issue $100 fines for PFD violations. The rangers also enforce rules related to boating under the influence, which also apply to watercrafts like kayaks and paddleboards. Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boating deaths, according to Colorado Parks and Recreation.

More information about Colorado’s boating rules and regulations can be found on the Parks and Wildlife website. Regulations specific to the Dillon Reservoir may be more restrictive and can be found on the Summit County government website.