HOLLAND, Mich. – The red flags were up on many beaches along the lake shore Thursday, including Holland State Park. With waves reaching up to 10 feet and winds around 20 miles per hour, the Coast Guard warned people to stay out of the water.
“Windy, yeah of course it’s windy, but it’s again it’s fun!” said Holland resident Robin Harrison.
Wind gusts blew up to 30 miles per hour with waves up to 10 feet, making beach conditions unsafe.
“Ten-foot waves, I mean, those are very big and the thing is they’re constant in Lake Michigan,” said Westshorre Board Sports employee Lee Joldersma. "It’s like wave, after wave, after wave, after wave."
Officials issued a small craft advisory and asked small boats and people to stay out of the water.
Even the local shop, Westshore Board Sports, was not renting out anything.
“Everybody’s kind of looking for that extra rush, adrenaline rush you know, in sports that we deal with, but it’s really very unsafe,” Joldersma said of Thursday’s conditions.
While the Coast Guard warned against walking out on piers, families at Holland State Park braved the winds, maybe not realizing it just takes one wave to knock them into the water.
“The rip current, you definitely feel that when you’re out there in the water just pulling on you,” said Joldersma. “That’s a big thing for people that aren’t very strong or small children that can easily just take you out."
The rip current is a strong, narrow current that pulls swimmers out into the water. If anyone is caught in the rip tide, officials said, it’s important to not panic, then swim parallel to the beach to get out of it.
