(WXMI) — It’s been one of the least dangerous years on Lake Michigan’s east coast.
“I think this is one of the better years that we’ve had from the standpoint of not having emergencies,” said Ron Olson, chief of Parks and Recreation for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP), there have been 15 reported drownings in Lake Michigan in 2023; however, only one has happened in West Michigan. GLSRP says earlier this month, a 23-year-old man from Ohio drowned while swimming in the lake near Manistee. At this point last year, there had been six drownings.
“That’s the end result that we’re looking for,” said Olson, “that we have people have fun but do it safely.”
Olson attributes the drop to better public education on rip currents, life jackets and the flag system. The DNR piloted a double red flag warning last year too, which has since expanded to all state beaches. It prohibits people from entering the water. If they do, they could face a $500 fine.
READ MORE: Double red flags added to Great Lakes beach warning system
“It’s the message boards; it's the loudspeakers; it's more pronounced flags; it's getting the word out on social media, and news mediums such as this so that people are really keenly aware because nobody wants to get hurt,” said Olson. “With social media and other methods of communication, [it] makes it more spontaneous, so people can have lots of different windows into information than, say, existed 10 years ago.”
Brandi Donley’s oldest son, Brandon Schmidt, drowned at Windsnest Park in Port Sheldon Township in 2018.
“All of us trying to just relearn how to live life without him," said Donley. “It's impacted his siblings a lot, me, his father, so many people.”
Donley says she has noticed an increased awareness on the topic but believes there could always be more. For example, she wants state legislators to take up a bill that provides rescue equipment like life rings and beach hazard signs along the lakeshore’s public access points.
“Low numbers are always really, really great, but that one drowning wasn't just one victim,” said Donley. “It created multiple, multiple victims — the family and loved ones, anybody at the beach that day.”
To keep the number of drownings in West Michigan low, water safety advocates recommend the following steps:
- Monitor water temperatures
- Use a life jacket
- Heed the flag warnings
- Stay within your capacity as a swimmer
- Look out for rip currents; if you're caught in one, flip over on your back, float and follow the current to assess the flow, then swim perpendicular to it.
READ MORE: Learning rip current safety on Lake Michigan
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