The Inland Sea they mistakenly call a Lake By Chief Tom Rau, Coast Guard Group Grand Haven, Mi Lake Michigan, mid July. The Coast Guard 25-foot ridged hull inflatable plowed into the open waters of Lake Michigan. I grasped the helm with one hand while the other worked the throttle. It promised to be a spine jarring 15-mile run to the reported position of a man in the water a hundred yards off the beach, five miles north of White Lake harbor, Lake Michigan. The National Weather Service had posted small craft advisories and apparently boaters had got the word since we were the only boat out on the lake. And understandingly so; seven-foot seas slammed into our port quarter twisting the light inflatable through the Lake’s infamous close-quartered peaks and troughs. Sea spray exploded across the deck. Several times a renegade wave nearly launched me off the boat. Images of my surfing days, riding the curl off Southern California beaches danced across my mind as I peered down the front side of wave after wave while struggling to maintain control of the 4000 pound inflatable. The report that a swimmer was 100 yards or so off the beach struck me as odd as I watched the seas race towards shore, their white crest swirling in gail-force winds. The man in the water would need rockets to get that far off shore in those shore driven seas. Just the day before, I was swimming in Lake Michigan, about four miles north of Manistee. That day the waves were only two to three feet high and also came from the south. Not only did the seas drive me north they drove me onto shore. I guessed that’s where the man would be found, near shore. When we arrived on scene, a Coast Guard helicopter, an Aeromed helicopter and members from the Montaque and White Lake Fire Department, and a Muskegon diving team were engaged in the search. The red diving flags marked the position just off shore where the man reportedly was last seen. Overhead the helicopters paralleled the shoreline, their crews peering down into the surf. The Aeromed copter first spotted the victim a quarter of a mile north of the divers and right off the beach (reportedly 15 feet). I watched the Aeromed copter set down on the beach; its crew scrambled towards the victim’s location. Meanwhile the rescue divers zoomed north in a four-wheel beach craft to assist. Unfortunately it was too late. Carl Weaver, 49, of Rossford, Ohio had drowned. Family members reported that he was swimming in the surf when he disappeared. Oh, Lord, I thought when I heard that later on the evening news. What a tragedy. A fun vacation turned into a nightmare for an unsuspecting family. My heart went out to the family, but does Lake Michigan care? Not hardly. In seventeen years of search and rescue here on Lake Michigan, I’ve grown to expect the worst from this inland sea they mistakenly call a lake. This certainly was not the first inland sea drowning I witnessed, but, God willing, it will be the last. But that can only be so if people give this massive body of water the respect it deserves and demands. This message is especially important now as we roll into August and the warm weather lures beach goers to the inland sea. Those who take to the inland sea shores should understand winds generate waves, and in August warm winds arriving from the south hit the beach at angles. This energy creates a long-shore movement. I can tell you from my own experience that such waves drive me north along the shore at a good clip. As a precaution I stay in waist to chest deep water, but this is not always possible. Sand bars that weave along the shore may provide shallow depths but open to deeper water where they bend or dip. This could explain why swimmers suddenly find themselves over their head. An inexperienced swimmer caught in a long-shore wave movement in deep water can easily panic. To avoid this, it’s absolutely necesssary to relax and let the waves carry you to shore. During my surfing days, heavy surf forced me under for long periods but it always spit me up if I relaxed and rolled with the flow. Another thing, If you can’t swim an overhead stroke for at least 15 minutes, keep away from heavy surf. Also, swimmers should stay away from breakwaters and sea walls in heavy surf. Here, waves crashing into these structures create a wave back lash that can overcome even experienced swimmers. Remember, this inland sea they mistakenly call a lake is no less forgiving than the earth’s great oceans. Swim Smart or swim not. Boat Smart is now on the Internet at: boatsmart.net, includes Lake Michigan weather and water temperatures. Remember, Channel 16 is for emergencies, Channel 09 for calling. Group Grand Haven | USCG Office of Boating Safety Forecast | Radar | Water Temps | Auxiliary | CMEs |
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