Last weekend we were in South Haven, Michigan, and saw a man drown. Story was in the local paper today. Apparently he lived just a couple of towns over from me.
I understand and agree that it is a horrible thing that this guy is dead. And I have no question that his efforts to save his family members was heroic.
But I guess what nags at me is my knowledge of how incredibly rough the water was that day. I was with a family group including several teenagers - the youngest was 15, many had been on HS swim and water polo teams, and had worked as lifeguards. Strong swimmers all. And we were about 1/4 mile away from the pier, instead of the 75 yds this family was.
When we went in the water, we were amazed at how powerful and potentially dangerous the waves were. It was immediately obvious that the current was irresistably pushing you towards the pier. It was an effort - tho not impossible - to get out.
So I guess what bothers me a little bit is the lack of any suggestion that it might have been the least bit careless for these families to allow kids under 10 to enter those waters, especially so close to the pier. Instead, the story talks about the lack of warning signs. (I don’t know about in their immediate vicinity, but elsewhere on the beach there were numerous signs warning of dangerous currents and the lack of lifeguards.) My Sis and BIL were golfing that a.m. with a couple of locals, one of whom had said something along the lines of “With the wind blowing like this, you know they will have to be hauling some idiots out of the water.” So it is not as tho what happened was unforeseeable.
I don’t think so. People should certainly pay attention to their surroundings and adjust their activities accordingly.
Unfortuately that seems to be something which isn’t learned so much anymore. Example: a construction project we did, pouring a concrete ditch between houses in a subdivision. A young mother brought her toddler over to the actual construction being done, sat down on an upturned bucket and allowed the child to play right at her feet. The superintendent had to gently explain to her that it was too dangerous for her and the child to be so close to the moving equipment. She got a bit huffy about it.
Last year the waves sweeped away three people who had gone to the harbor in La Coruña (NW Spain, Atlantic coast) to watch the storm. That storm which had every single ship locked in port. At the breakwater :smack: Yeah, sure, you have waves so tall only the oldest folk remember something so scary and you go to what’s called in Spanish “the wave breaker,” to watch them.
Two months ago, about 60 miles down the coast, Rescue at Sea went and rescued a family who’d gone and walked to a pretty little rock during the low tide. A pretty little rock which is completely covered during the high tide :smack: The local government was talking about making morons like those pay for the rescue.
If you say anything though people yell at you for blaming the victim. Common sense is a valuable thing but so many people just seem to ignore it and walk blithely through life, and then sue.
I am on the beach watching people swim in the Atlantic Ocean off the barriers islands of Southern New Jersey every week. Been doing it since I was born.
90% of rescues are to help idiots.
10% are freak accidents in shallow water on days where you are shocked anyone could get into trouble.
We watched a family die, because they decided to swim in rip currents without lifeguards. 4, 8, 12 and 30-something (one kid made it out). Watching their bloated bodies get pulled from the water well after drowning feels awful, but it doesn’t mean the parent wasn’t an idiot.
My only emotion left after leaving the beach was anger, and I was not alone as the crowd finally dispersed.
I think people often underestimate the power of waves and currents. If you are not familiar with Lake MIchigan, I can see how people don’t expect it to be similar to swimming in an ocean. They think a lake = easy swimming.
I agree it is very foolish to let your kids swim in those conditions. But it is true every year people drown, especially jumping off piers and swimming in strong winds and waves. All it takes is a misestimation of conditions and things go wrong very very fast.
ETA: Part of the problem is that tourists often come to lakes and oceans and don’t know how to swim in them safely. It is ignorance more than stupidity I think. Plus Michigan beaches don’t have lifeguards, and I think people are used to being more supervised, thinking someone would prohibit them from swimming if it were unsafe.
Wow! We were in South Haven the weekend prior (we were there 22nd - 26th). My daughter even noted the sign about rip currents (she was 6) and what they were. We were out in the water when it was a little windy, but nowhere near 30 mph.
Nice town, shame that people are so ignorant of the water.
I know several small lakes in Spain which are absolutely frigid even in high summer and have strong currents that in some cases can be felt with just one foot in. And people still manage to drown in them.
Sailors got it right: “water, she’s one nasty bitch.”
I just found out this was someone I knew. His wife was once a close friend of mine. I was at their wedding.
I know them to be be good people and refuse to cast aspersions on their parenting ability based on this. I don’t know all the facts.
I grew up a few miles from Lake Michigan and I think most of us that did have tremendous respect for that lake and don’t go in when the water is too rough. Generally it seems that the drowners are out of towners. What I think is unfortunate is that nobody has lifeguards any more.
It’s a tough call because they were used to going there and being fine. To have been there many times on vacation and feel familiar with the place would make you do what you always did and then find out too late it was different. It’s too bad no one around who was aware of the conditions warned them.
I grew up in South Haven and this shit happens at least 1-3 times every summer. But I can tell you that swimming close to the pier you get some nasty rip tides.