Now I wasn't there so this is a bit of speculation on my part, but every year the Air Force (I think from upstate NY; Nome?) practices water rescues on the lake. I've seen them doing this every year for the past dozen or so years.
One year my dad and I actually got to witness the practices in the middle of the Broads. A C-130 did a mid-air refueling of two Blackhawk helicopters about I'd say 1500' over the water, then the two helicopters went to the Broads to practice water rescues. Two helicopters would approach a 'drowning swimmer', one would circle the area while the other did the extraction. It was like a private air show! What's even better is that several months later I was watching the Discovery Channel and there was a show on about amazing rescues. Sure enough, they had clip of the training exercise I saw, complete with me on the front of our boat!!
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