Beachgoers are urged to avoid swimming in Lake Michigan on Monday, July 7.
The National Weather Service‘s Beach Hazard Statement, issued July 7, said that high waves and dangerous currents are occurring along Lake Michigan beaches. Silver Beach issued a red flag July 7, and lifeguards are patrolling to keep people out of the water.
The hazard statement, which said waves are four to seven feet high in Lake and Porter counties, is in place until 10 p.m. ET July 7. Meteorologist Mark Frazier, with the Northern Indiana National Weather Service, also included northern LaPorte County and southern Berrien County, saying these areas have been experiencing three to five foot waves.
Beautiful, but deadly: The do’s and don’ts of swimming in Lake Michigan
Two people — identified as a father and son — died by drowning after swimming in Lake Michigan in Dune Acres, a town in Porter County, around 4:20 p.m. Sunday, July 6, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said in a press release.
The two men, identified as David Meneou, 65, from Joliet, Illinois, and Jameson Meneou, 20, from Lockport, Illinois, were both in the water when Jameson went into the deep water and began to struggle, DNR said. When David attempted to rescue his son, he also struggled in the deep water, the press release said.
The men were brought to shore by another beachgoer, and conservation officers and national park rangers gave live saving measures, DNR said. The men were declared dead at the hospital, the press release said.
Red flag day at Silver Beach
Silver Beach continues its red flag warning July 7, after also having a red flag on Sunday, July 6. No one is allowed in the water, Silver Beach County Park Assistant Head Lifeguard Chris Jordan told The Tribune Monday.
Lifeguards are patrolling the beach — by vehicle and on foot — to remind people to stay out of the water, he said. Patrolling on the ground, rather than in the towers, allows their presence to be “more felt” and to communicate with beachgoers in a “more direct fashion,” Jordan said.
On yellow flag days — days that are potentially dangerous, Jordan said, — lifeguards are extra vigilant as they look for behaviors that might lead to drowning — such as a person on top of another swimmer’s shoulders.
For safety, swimmers are also asked to stay in the swim zone — a rectangle area marked by buoys in the water — and are whistled at if they cross the boundary, he said. Having a smaller swim zone prevents swimmers from having the opportunity to “go out so deep,” Jordan said.
Lifeguards are on duty at the beach’s three towers from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. everyday, weather permitting, he said.
For water rescues, lifeguards use rescue boards or the E.M.I.L.Y. drone, a remote-controlled drone that speeds up to 23 miles per hour through whitecaps to quickly reach a victim, who can then grab ahold of it and hang on for help.
“We have to make sure our lifeguards are safe, too,” Jordan said. “That becomes a common thing where someone goes in to rescue someone and they become a victim as well because of how strong the currents are and how strong the waves are.”
High swim risk ends Monday
The high waves create conditions for stronger currents, Frazier said. The strong, southward flowing longshore current occurring Monday, Frazier said, is impacted by wind direction, which is coming from the north, then moving south/southeast by Tuesday; speed, which is 10 to 15 knots or 11.5 to 17.2 miles per hour; and structures on the beach, such as sandbars or piers, he said.
“If you’re a swimmer and you’re going out, you may not necessarily know what you’re looking at,” Frazier said. “If you go in too deep, that can create a real issue, a danger.”
The weather service’s high-wave warning is expected to end June 7. By Tuesday, wind speeds will decrease to less than 10 knots and waves are expected to be two feet or less, which is not a high-risk swim condition, Frazier said.
Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: National Weather Service issues beach hazard for Lake Michigan