SHOREWOOD, Minnesota — Sunday was no day off for Jeff Bosek, who was busy out on the softening ice of Lake Minnetonka.
"Whatever people lose in the lakes, they give me a call," explained Bosek, who owns Bosek Underwater Services in Alexandria.
This time, it was a side-by-side UTV that sunk 25 feet under the surface of Lake Minnetonka in Shorewood. It happened Sunday morning after the driver attempted to go over an ice heave, according to Bosek.
Bosek said with even warmer weather expected this week, he didn't want to wait to retrieve it.
"I brought the minimum amount of equipment to try and get it out today without bringing heavy equipment out on the ice," Bosek said.
Bosek Underwater Services had a busy weekend. The company was in Lake of the Woods on Friday, pulling a car out of the water.
"There's no such thing as safe ice," Bosek said, echoing a phrase often used by DNR safety experts. "Because at any point, it can change. So you really have to know what you're doing."
"We've had warm winters but this is probably the warmest I've seen it," said Sgt. Troy Kostohryz, a 10-year veteran of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Water Patrol. "We're dealing with about 14 to 12 inches of ice in places, but ice forms differently in every bay. So there could be areas where it's very shallow or a small amount of ice and large amount of ice in other places."
Kostohryz noted the Water Patrol has not had as many rescues this season when compared to previous years. However, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Ice Safety Coordinator Nicole Biagi said there have been more fatalities this winter than in past winters.
"People couldn't get out. They're very antsy to get out. Now that we had that little cold snap... people started to rush out. Now we have warm temperatures coming again and we're trying to warn people that they need to be more cautious and even get wheelhouses off the ice in some places," Biagi said.
The DNR does not report on ice thickness. Biagi said people should make sure to check the ice thickness frequently as they go out as ice does not form consistently over any body of water. You can find the DNR's general ice thickness guidelines, here. Biagi said if it's white ice, you need to double the thickness recommendation.
Sgt. Kostohryz encourages people to wear life jackets when they're on the ice.
"Maybe carry a spud bar or a metal pipe... something to check the ice and check as they're going. We also ask that people wear ice picks or have them around so they can pull themselves out of the ice if they do fall through," Sgt. Kostohryz said.
After the side-by-side fell through the ice on Lake Minnetonka Sunday morning, a human rescue was launched as night arrived in Excelsior. According to the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department (SLMPD), officers responded to reports of a 4-wheeler that went through the ice at the end of Clay Cliffe Drive. Excelsior Fire and Hennepin County Sheriff's Water Patrol rescue personnel safely pulled one person off the lake.
"Just a reminder with these warm temperatures so far this winter, to know the thickness of the ice before taking any vehicles onto it. We are thankful for the outcome of tonight's incident & thank you to all the agencies involved," SLMPD posted on its social media channels.
As for Jeff Bosek, his recovery company could be even busier as the week plays out and warmer temps further degrade ice conditions.
"If it's windy and it melts a little bit of ice and there's water on top, then that water starts moving from the wind and it'll just make a hole extremely fast," Bosek explained. "If it picks up... wind and stuff, I would stay off. There's no fish worth dying for."
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