New ambassador program hopes to better inform beachgoers
Ambassador program being funded with grant from Wisconsin Sea Grant Share
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Ambassador program being funded with grant from Wisconsin Sea Grant Share The pandemic drew big crowds to McKinley Beach last summer, and many who visited were unfamiliar with the lake s power.Sadly, four people drowned in the water near McKinley in 2020, and now a new group is hoping to educate beachgoers in the name of safety. We have the long pier becomes a structural rip, it s called. It s the configuration of the beach, it s the configuration of the boulders, that produces a current that sweeps out along the structure and draws people out, said Lloyd Seawright, who trains lifeguards in Shorewood, Wisconsin, and spends lots of time in and around Lake Michigan.He says the structure of McKinley Beach and those dangerous rip currents can spell trouble for swimmers.
Benjamin Soto, Kelvin’s father, joined the search party on Saturday.
“My goal is to find my boy, and to ask for the help of the people to help me find my boy,” he said. “It’s been hard. This is my baby child.”
Kelvin had just moved to the Chicago area for a job when he went missing last weekend.
“This is the hardest part of the work that we have to do, is meeting with family and friends of drowning victims,” Dave Benjamin, co-founder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, said.
Benjamin is offering his group’s assistance to the Soto family, as they continue the search and hope to spread awareness about the dangers that can come with enjoying time on the Great Lakes.
9 & 10 News
May 1, 2021
Although weekend temperatures will be nice, it comes with strong winds and cold water temperatures.
Sudden immersion into cold water can cause cold water shock, hyperventilation gasp reflex and incapacitated swimming ability.
Drownings can happen within minutes and hypothermia can set in in less than an hour.
The group says those who may consider kayaking or Stand-up Paddle boarding should wear wetsuits, lifejackets and understand that offshore winds and/or side-offshore winds can blow them fast and far from shore, with little chance of making it back to the shore.
2020 was the deadliest year on Lake Michigan since 2010, with 56 drownings.