According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, more than 1,350 people have drowned in the Great Lakes over the last 15 years, nearly half in Lake Michigan.
The tragedies involved circumstances of all sorts: Swimmers being pulled out into open water by rip currents. People being overcome by waves or currents while trying to rescue others. People being washed off piers. Boaters and kayakers falling overboard without life jackets.
Are the Great Lakes safe to swim in?
Dave Benjamin, founder and executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP), a nonprofit that tracks drownings in all five Great Lakes, says that about a third of all Great Lakes drownings are related to dangerous currents, while the other two-thirds involve people getting into water over their head and not knowing how to survive.
Beachgoers in South Haven swim in Lake Michigan at their own risk on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Lake Michigan is the deadliest lake in America, statistics show. Yet there are no lifeguards at 99% of Michigan’s public beaches.
According to the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium, dangerous currents and breaking waves are common in the Great Lakes, though rip currents and others found near piers are especially dangerous for swimmers and can lead to drownings. Rip currents will not pull a swimmer under the water, instead it will carry them out to the open water, away from shore.
To escape this rip, experts offer what’s known as the “3 F’s Rule” — Flip. Float. Follow the safest path back to shore. They warn not to fight the current, but swim to the side.
Many Michigan beaches also have signs on the dangers of rip currents, and illustrate the hourglass shape of a rip current as it extends from a beach. Experts say the relatively simple way to survive this current is to float, stay as calm as possible and don’t fight it.
Related: Lake Michigan is America’s deadliest lake — yet lifeguards are nowhere to be found
Related: Tips on how to escape a rip current in Lake Michigan, or help a struggling swimmer
Why Lake Michigan is especially dangerous
According to the National Weather Service, the west Michigan coastline along Lake Michigan has the most current related incidents of all of the Great Lakes, including rescues and fatalities. For example, in 2020, the state of Michigan saw more than 30 current-related incidents, while Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana saw fewer than five.
There are multiple reasons for this: the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is favorably aligned for the weather — which typically moves from west to east — and has wave conditions conducive to current formation; many of our beaches along the Lake Michigan shoreline have sandbars, break walls and piers, which make them especially prone to structural, longshore, and rip currents, and Michigan’s western coastline gets extensive tourism.
The National Weather Service notes, however, that the number of current incidents and drownings in Lake Michigan must be kept relative to how many people visit its beaches each year. For example, Holland sees more drownings than any other beach town in Michigan — 15 over the last 15 years — but Holland State Park sees around 2 million visitors every year.
“These beaches are all safe and fun to swim at,” the National Weather Service states on its website. “But beachgoers must remain alert to the changing weather and wave conditions, and heed the advice of park patrol and lifeguards.”
And there’s the rub.
Michigan’s lifeguard chairs are empty.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Lake Michigan is America’s deadliest lake