A day at the beach turned deadly in St. Joseph after dive teams retrieved the body of a Benton Harbor teen at 6:19 p.m. Sunday.

Police say 19-year-old Terrell Burton dove off Silver Beach's south pier just before 5 p.m. However, the novice swimmer could not stay afloat in the chilly 60 degree water.

For reasons unknown, Burton walked far down the pier to where there are no guard gates. After hitting the water, the teen immediately began to struggle in two to three foot waves.

Police say two friends jumped onto rocks to try and pull Burton to safety, but had to let go for fear they'd fall in as well.

"I’ve heard about people dying before and it's sad that I kind of had a hands on experience being here when this happened,” beachgoer Abby Lueders.

Eyewitness reporter Mark Parren sent a photo to our reporting partners at WSJM AM Radio. The picture shows medic and police crews on the pier as a Coast Guard vessel scans the water for Burton.

After a near 90 minute search, Lt. Don Goulooze with the Berrien County Dive Team located Burton’s body 15 to 18 feet underwater.

A NewsCenter 16 Skyview camera captured rescue crews as they brought Burton’s body to the St. Joe Coast Guard station. An ambulance later transported his body to the Berrien County Coroner's Office.

Police say Burton was a senior at Benton Harbor High School; he would have graduated in less than two weeks.

"I'd recommend that anybody who wants to go into the water, that they definitely need to respect it. It is stronger, more powerful than it looks and it's obviously dangerous as we learned here today,” Patrolman Chris Mendus said.

This drowning marks the first summer season death on Lake Michigan within Berrien County. Throughout the summer of 2010, nearly 100 people were claimed by the lake’s merciless waters.

“I’m kind of scared to go swimming now. I actually know how to swim, but I realize that doesn't always help,” Lueders concluded.

Police say Sunday night’s storms came after Burton drowned. However, heavy rain and higher waves did hamper recovery efforts, pushing dive teams into the rock wall along the pier.