QUOTE
With its sandy beaches and picturesque views, Lake Michigan may be seen by some as a gentle lake, where even inexperienced swimmers are safe to take a dip.
It isn’t the Atlantic or Pacific ocean, after all.
But that is a misconception local officials say could prove costly - even deadly - for those who enter the water.
In fact, experts say they believe Lake Michigan should be viewed as an ocean in terms of its power.
“People should view the lake as a freshwater ocean, not a small body of water,” said Casey Steuer, a U.S. Coast Guard information officer based in Milwaukee. “There’s huge potential for danger. It’s risky, and you have to be a seasoned mariner to recreate it.”
The lake is the cause of dozens of deaths each year. Last year, 77 drownings occurred in Lake Michigan, which was the highest total in several years.
Through the middle of June this year, 24 drownings had been reported. There were 40 and 37 drownings in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Several of those deaths occurred in the Michigan City area and off the coast of Berrien County, popular areas were locals flock.
One of the main culprits for causing such drownings are rip currents, described as a strong flow of surface water away from the shore. The currents can be prevalent along the shore where sandbars are located and have the capability to pull people hundreds of feet out into the lake in just a few seconds.
There are several other factors that have led to deaths in Lake Michigan as well, including inexperienced swimmers not respecting the lake’s power, boat safety issues and pier jumping.
“I don’t think folks realize the power of the waves,” said Berrien County Parks Department director Brian Bailey, who oversees the popular Silver Beach County Park in St. Joseph. “Three-foot waves can knock you down. You lose your footing under the water, and when you think you can turn around and stand up, another wave quickly knocks you down.
“People don’t appreciate the power of Lake Michigan.”
Dangers of rip currents
So dangerous are rip currents that the National Weather Service held a workshop in March in New Buffalo to discuss ways to better create awareness of their dangers.
Rebecca Polzin, station chief of the U.S. Coast Guard station in Michigan City, said the majority of the drownings last year in this area of Lake Michigan were rip current-related and the reason the U.S. Coast Guard is pushing education on the currents.
“A lot of these cases, people don’t listen to the fact the beaches are closed,” she said. “If they close them, people fail to listen. Even when we were working at a rip current drowning (last year), people were still swimming in the area.”
Michael Sabones, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service office in northern Indiana, said it is unclear exactly how many of the drownings in Lake Michigan are caused by rip currents, but added they are not always the primary cause. He said they can work as contributors, especially when dealing with inexperienced swimmers.
In regards to how many of the drownings are rip current-related, Sabones said there are estimates as low as 30 percent to 50 percent and as high as 70 percent.
Of the 130 days in which the National Weather Service considers the summer rip current season, 28 statements - or about 22 percent of those days last year - were issued advising of the potential threat of currents.
“This summer we are working with clients to get a better handle on how to forecast these events,” Sabones said.
Sabones said the higher the waves, the more likely rip currents are to form. The rip forms when two parallel currents going in opposite directions push to send water back out to the lake.
Rip current-related deaths over the past 10 years on a 51-mile stretch of Lake Michigan were equal to the combined number of fatalities associated with tornadoes, wind, flood and lightning in a 37-county area that stretches most of northern Indiana, parts of Ohio and southwest Michigan during the same period.
Rip currents can form without prior warning, as was the case July 4, 2003, when seven people drowned within hours along a three-mile stretch of beaches in Berrien County.
Sabones said in studying deaths in Lake Michigan he has noticed that many are young males who often come from areas away from the lake.
“What we find is that people nearer to the lake, respect the lake,” he said. “Somebody comes from out of town, they don’t understand it.”
Other dangers
In regards to boat safety on the lake, Polzin recommends alerting the Coast Guard before leaving on a trip of any significance - such as New Buffalo to Chicago - so authorities would know where to look in case of trouble.
Kayaking, canoeing and rafting are also popular shoreline activities that can be dangerous.
The currents can start pushing people out when they are on inflatable rafts, and they don’t realize how far out they may go, said Michael Terrell, park manager for Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer.
“Water is just a dangerous thing,” he said.
Polzin said people who venture out onto the lake need to wear a lifejacket, as well as alert people to where they’re going.
Silver Beach, which attracts thousands of people each summer, does have safeguards in place to prevent incidents on the lake, as do many public beaches such as Washington Park in Michigan City.
Lifeguards are on duty at Silver Beach from 9:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., weather permitting, seven days per week from early June to mid- to late-August. There are three towers on the beach with one or two lifeguards on each.
The flag system at the beach is there to alert people of the conditions of the lake. Green means it’s OK to swim, yellow means swim with caution and a red flag indicates no swimming is allowed.
“When we post the red flag … we don’t allow anyone in the water,” Bailey said.
Park officials there also check the National Weather Service frequently for updates.
Sabones said the NWS is working closely with officials at Washington Park, New Buffalo, Warren Dunes and Silver Beach to get a better handle on the safety of the lake from day to day.
Steuer said the Coast Guard is always looking for ways to promote safety in the lake. Last summer, advertisements promoting safety were played at Major League Baseball games in Milwaukee and Chicago.
“I can’t stress enough how important it is to heed the information out there,” Sabones said. “And check the forecast.”
Staff writer Tom Moor:
tmoor@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6234
It isn’t the Atlantic or Pacific ocean, after all.
But that is a misconception local officials say could prove costly - even deadly - for those who enter the water.
In fact, experts say they believe Lake Michigan should be viewed as an ocean in terms of its power.
“People should view the lake as a freshwater ocean, not a small body of water,” said Casey Steuer, a U.S. Coast Guard information officer based in Milwaukee. “There’s huge potential for danger. It’s risky, and you have to be a seasoned mariner to recreate it.”
The lake is the cause of dozens of deaths each year. Last year, 77 drownings occurred in Lake Michigan, which was the highest total in several years.
Through the middle of June this year, 24 drownings had been reported. There were 40 and 37 drownings in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Several of those deaths occurred in the Michigan City area and off the coast of Berrien County, popular areas were locals flock.
One of the main culprits for causing such drownings are rip currents, described as a strong flow of surface water away from the shore. The currents can be prevalent along the shore where sandbars are located and have the capability to pull people hundreds of feet out into the lake in just a few seconds.
There are several other factors that have led to deaths in Lake Michigan as well, including inexperienced swimmers not respecting the lake’s power, boat safety issues and pier jumping.
“I don’t think folks realize the power of the waves,” said Berrien County Parks Department director Brian Bailey, who oversees the popular Silver Beach County Park in St. Joseph. “Three-foot waves can knock you down. You lose your footing under the water, and when you think you can turn around and stand up, another wave quickly knocks you down.
“People don’t appreciate the power of Lake Michigan.”
Dangers of rip currents
So dangerous are rip currents that the National Weather Service held a workshop in March in New Buffalo to discuss ways to better create awareness of their dangers.
Rebecca Polzin, station chief of the U.S. Coast Guard station in Michigan City, said the majority of the drownings last year in this area of Lake Michigan were rip current-related and the reason the U.S. Coast Guard is pushing education on the currents.
“A lot of these cases, people don’t listen to the fact the beaches are closed,” she said. “If they close them, people fail to listen. Even when we were working at a rip current drowning (last year), people were still swimming in the area.”
Michael Sabones, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service office in northern Indiana, said it is unclear exactly how many of the drownings in Lake Michigan are caused by rip currents, but added they are not always the primary cause. He said they can work as contributors, especially when dealing with inexperienced swimmers.
In regards to how many of the drownings are rip current-related, Sabones said there are estimates as low as 30 percent to 50 percent and as high as 70 percent.
Of the 130 days in which the National Weather Service considers the summer rip current season, 28 statements - or about 22 percent of those days last year - were issued advising of the potential threat of currents.
“This summer we are working with clients to get a better handle on how to forecast these events,” Sabones said.
Sabones said the higher the waves, the more likely rip currents are to form. The rip forms when two parallel currents going in opposite directions push to send water back out to the lake.
Rip current-related deaths over the past 10 years on a 51-mile stretch of Lake Michigan were equal to the combined number of fatalities associated with tornadoes, wind, flood and lightning in a 37-county area that stretches most of northern Indiana, parts of Ohio and southwest Michigan during the same period.
Rip currents can form without prior warning, as was the case July 4, 2003, when seven people drowned within hours along a three-mile stretch of beaches in Berrien County.
Sabones said in studying deaths in Lake Michigan he has noticed that many are young males who often come from areas away from the lake.
“What we find is that people nearer to the lake, respect the lake,” he said. “Somebody comes from out of town, they don’t understand it.”
Other dangers
In regards to boat safety on the lake, Polzin recommends alerting the Coast Guard before leaving on a trip of any significance - such as New Buffalo to Chicago - so authorities would know where to look in case of trouble.
Kayaking, canoeing and rafting are also popular shoreline activities that can be dangerous.
The currents can start pushing people out when they are on inflatable rafts, and they don’t realize how far out they may go, said Michael Terrell, park manager for Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer.
“Water is just a dangerous thing,” he said.
Polzin said people who venture out onto the lake need to wear a lifejacket, as well as alert people to where they’re going.
Silver Beach, which attracts thousands of people each summer, does have safeguards in place to prevent incidents on the lake, as do many public beaches such as Washington Park in Michigan City.
Lifeguards are on duty at Silver Beach from 9:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., weather permitting, seven days per week from early June to mid- to late-August. There are three towers on the beach with one or two lifeguards on each.
The flag system at the beach is there to alert people of the conditions of the lake. Green means it’s OK to swim, yellow means swim with caution and a red flag indicates no swimming is allowed.
“When we post the red flag … we don’t allow anyone in the water,” Bailey said.
Park officials there also check the National Weather Service frequently for updates.
Sabones said the NWS is working closely with officials at Washington Park, New Buffalo, Warren Dunes and Silver Beach to get a better handle on the safety of the lake from day to day.
Steuer said the Coast Guard is always looking for ways to promote safety in the lake. Last summer, advertisements promoting safety were played at Major League Baseball games in Milwaukee and Chicago.
“I can’t stress enough how important it is to heed the information out there,” Sabones said. “And check the forecast.”
Staff writer Tom Moor:
tmoor@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6234