A Tale of Two Beaches - July 16, 2008

Lake Michigan is a cruel mistress.

It gives us water to drink, to swim in and beaches to relax by. It's also a devastator of lives.

I started my day at 4:30 a.m. by arriving at Porter Beach to document Ethan Hall, a Chesterton High School senior swimmer, who was trying to swim from the Porter Beach to Burnham Harbor. He was trying to fulfill a lifelong dream and raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in honor of family friend ten-year-old Jacob Strothoff.

He arrived around 4:30 a.m. to warm-up and get on his way by 5:00 a.m.

Chesterton High School senior Ethan Hall stretches with his grandfather Frank Schnick of Valparaiso before attempting to swim from Porter Beach to Burnham Harbor in Chicago Wednesday to help raise money for Jacob Strothoff, a 10 year old with Type 1 diabetes.


It was still very dark so i had to use a strobe go get this any sort of light. It also helped keep that colorful sky as the morning.


Chesterton High School senior Ethan Hall pauses after entering the calm waters of Lake Michigan before beginning his swim to Burnham Harbor from Porter Beach early Wednesday morning in Porter.

Ethan hugged Jacob and made his way into the water and he was off....

Chesterton High School senior Ethan Hall hugs Jacob Strohoff, 10, before Hall begins his swim to Burnham Harbor from Porter Beach early Wednesday morning in Porter.

Ethan hugged Jacob and made his way into the water to meet up with his chase boat and he was off....

Chesterton High School senior Ethan Hall pauses as his chase boat comes closer to the shore before Hall begins his swim to Burnham Harbor from Porter Beach early Wednesday morning in Porter.

Ethan ended up swimming 23 miles in 14 hours. he had to stop for the last six miles and then jumped into the water to swim the final distance to the Chicago shore.



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Chapter Two
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After an early breakfast at a diner in downtown Chesterton/card reader trouble/business assignment/pre-county fair feature hunt I received a call from the bossman to turn and burn towards Kemil Beach. They found DeVante Jackson. 14-year-old Jackson went missing Sunday afternoon after he got caught in the riptide at Kemil Beach.

I pulled up to the beach in Beverly Shores to see the lake County Sheriff's boat and a DNR boat out in the water and then I saw it, a large orange bag. These situations are never easy to document. As a photojournalist, I need to walk a fine line....a very gray and blurry fine line. We have to capture truthful pictures of this tragic situation and capture images that doesn't disrespect the dead and grieving.

By-standers watch as Law enforcement officials walk up a sand dune from Kemil Beach as they remove the body of DaVante Jackson Wednesday morning in Beverly Shores. Jackson went missing while swimming in 2-3 foot waves Sunday afternoon.

I left a respectable distance and watched as the corner and the officers ID'd the body and began carrying it to the Corner's van. It was much like a funeral procession as they carried the bag up the sand dune.

Law enforcement officials remove the body of DaVante Jackson from Kemil Beach Wednesday morning in Beverly Shores. Jackson went missing while swimming in 2-3 foot waves Sunday afternoon.

What bothered me was the beach-goers who maybe looked, but moved on with their day. There were some that stood as silent sentries as law enforcement carried Jackson. Other did not care to notice the tragedy that was in it's final act right before their eyes. I guess thats another thing that the lake does to us; it puts blinders on us to the real world. Even when reality tries to strike back, one can always just a wait a moment. A moment for the next wave to come crashing ashore with that peaceful whoosh and then like the waves, we leave the land and retreat to another world.