It's the difficult outcome that doesn't seem real for 22-year-old Dylan Abeyta of Sturgeon Bay.
"They didn't survive and I'm the only one, it's not fair," said Abeyta.
He's remembering his two friends swept away by a large wave Sunday on a Sheboygan Pier. 21-year-old Kurt Ahonen and 22-year-old Adam LaLuzerne both drowned in Lake Michigan that day.
Ahonen was a former student at Preble High School in Green Bay. Abeyta met him his senior year of college at St. Norbert College in De Pere.
"I wish I would have gotten to know him a lot better, but I'm glad I got to know him," said Abeyta.
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Adam LaLuzerne was Dylan's best friend for 15 years growing up.
"Both men were very genuine, very kind-hearted genuine men who it was easy to be-friend you know," said Abeyta.
Robert Nickel, the principal at Sturgeon Bay High School where Adam and Dylan graduated from released this statement to NBC26:
"Adam LaLuzerne was a member of the Class of 2012. I remember him as a quiet, friendly young man who normally had a smile on his face. He was a soccer player at Sturgeon Bay High School as well as a member of National Honor Society. Membership is based on significant levels of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Being selected for membership provides evidence of the type of student Adam was. Of course, we grieve at the loss of someone so young and with so much potential. This community loves its children, and this community is hurting."
Dylan recalls the events of that tragic day, saying his time in the water felt endless waiting for help to arrive.
"Probably 30 minutes I can't say I can give an accurate guess," said Abeyta.
According to the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department who conducted the recovery effort, the Coast Guard arrived just 9 minutes after the call for help came in.
Now support from all over is pouring in for the families impacted, including at St. Norbert College.
"We're offering counseling services to anybody that was impacted in the immediate families," said St. Norbert College assistant counseling director, Tom Doughman.
The college says those services will be provided for as long as they're needed.
