The Lake ate two more people yesterday...

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

@lieu

How many total have drowned in all the Great Lakes this year?

That’s hard to determine, as the great lakes border on 8 states and two nations. And many drowning deaths occur in the hospital more than a day or two after the victim has been pulled out of the water, and these often don’t get classified as a ‘drowning’.

In 1902 the New York Times reported a record sailor death rate of 140 for that year. Story here in PDF form

I’ve seen estimates range from 50 to 200 deaths a year on average. And one website claims over 30,000 drownings in the Great Lakes since europeans arrived with their boats.

[Mona_Lisa_Simpson]

I have lived on the shore of Lake Superior all my life. (give or take a few years in Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver) It is also probably the lake I have swimmed in the least. Usually too cold, and where it does warm up enough, too shallow, and if it is deep enough… too dangerous.

My grandfather was a sailor on the great lake boats. I know better than to trust those inland seas.

[Athena]

@Mona_Lisa_Simpson

I have lived on the shore of Lake Superior all my life. (give or take a few years in Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver) It is also probably the lake I have swimmed in the least. Usually too cold, and where it does warm up enough, too shallow, and if it is deep enough… too dangerous.

Really? Even with my healthy respect for the lake, I never felt I couldn’t swim in it. The vast majority of beaches are safe. I grew up spending most of my summers at the beach, and I still love July, August, and September - the months where the lake is warm enough to swim in.

Granted, “warm” when we’re talking about Lake Superior is relative. This year has been glorious, with Lake temps reported as high as 70 degrees, which is absolutely unheard of. Last weekend was unseasonably warm, into the 90s, and the Lake was not as warm as 70 but probably low 60s. It was beautiful. We spent a few nights out of town, one of which was in a B&B right on the Lake, and took a pre-breakfast swim. Cold, clear, clean - it’s like swimming in an aquarium. As much as the Lake can be scary, I do love it immensely.

[gonzomax]

I went to The Lake of the Clouds a few years ago. On the way back. I decided to swim in Lake Superior. It was August and I froze when I got waist deep. Who could swim in that?

[Cyros]

@Malthus

I guess what surprises me a bit is that the transition from the one state to the other generally is not accompanied by a lot of hoopla.

I guess this is a good spot to post why.

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

@gonzomax

I went to The Lake of the Clouds a few years ago. On the way back. I decided to swim in Lake Superior. It was August and I froze when I got waist deep. Who could swim in that?

Some days it’s warmer, some days it’s colder. It depends on wind and currents and sunshine as to whether a sufficiently warm surface layer has accumulated in any given area.

I’ve seen Lake Michigan range from the mid 70’s to the upper 40’s in less than 24 hours right in front of my house. Superior does the same thing, though it seldom goes much over 70 on the surface.

The deep water of the great lakes (which makes up over 95% of the lake volume) is always bone-chllingly cold, year round. Lake Michigan’s average temperature is 39, and Lake Superior’s is 36, IIRC.

[Qadgop_the_Mercotan]

@Cyros

@Malthus

I guess what surprises me a bit is that the transition from the one state to the other generally is not accompanied by a lot of hoopla.

I guess this is a good spot to post why.

Nice link. Let me quote a bit from it:

1.Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.

2.Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.

3.Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.

4.Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.

5.From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.