(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Including the drowning death of an off-duty Chicago Fire Department member, it has been a particularly deadly few days for local swimmers.
“We need people to stop and understand that knowing how to swim is not water safety,” said Dave Benjamin, co-founder and executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
Benjamin explained the dangers of Lake Michigan.
“Our wave period in Lake Michigan can be like three seconds, so even though the waves really weren’t that big, they’re maybe 2 to 3-feet. But, imagine getting hit with a wave every three seconds that’s 2 to 3-feet, that’s very turbulent, and it just throws you into instant panic.It’s [a] very low percentage of survival,” Benjamin said.
He told WBBM there have been several drownings in Lake Michigan and other bodies of water in recent days including a man in Kenosha, a teen in Streator and others, and said people have to learn more about the water.
“Knowing how to swim is just knowing how to swim, and most people don’t understand that swimming is actually an endurance sport, like running a marathon. You know how to run doesn’t mean you can run a marathon. Knowing how to swim doesn’t mean you could survive the marathon of a drowning incident,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin said we're on a deadly path.
“We could easily top 100 drownings this year in the Great Lakes,” Benjamin said.
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