# Lake Michigan takes another life **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-michigan-takes-another-life/542642 **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-michigan-takes-another-life/542642 "2010-06-10T13:24:16Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 7
### Author: ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena) #### Post date: [June 10, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-michigan-takes-another-life/542642/7 "2010-06-10T14:39:44Z")
Unfortunately these stories are way too common. Growing up on the Great Lakes, I was always taught to be very wary of them, especially in a small boat. I have a kayak, and if I’m going out on the big lake, it’s never without a PFD, a wet suit, a buddy, and a rigorous check of the weather. It’s way too easy to become another statistic because that gorgeous day turned windy, and you weren’t prepared for it. Every few years, someone - usually a college freshman who’s not familiar with the lake - drowns on one of the local beaches, no more than 10-20 yards from the shore. Yet still, people take risks. I see people in kayaks and canoes all the time without PFDs, without wet suits (Lake Superior is cold, even in July and August. You fall in, you’re going to quickly become hypothermic), and seemingly without any sort of clue that one swift breeze could put them in danger. It’s really sad. Thanks for trying, Qadgop. What a horrible thing to have to experience. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-michigan-takes-another-life/542642)._