(WWJ) - With fall-like temperatures sweeping across Michigan on Friday, state officials announced they are beginning to take down visual markers at designated swim beaches at state parks along the Great Lakes.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said staff is removing swim buoys and beach warning flags from stretches of beach. When the flags and markers are removed, the beach is still open to the public, but swimming is not recommended.
Swimmers are urged to use caution when entering the water, just like they should at any other non-designated swim beach along the Great Lakes, the DNR added.
According to the DNR, beachgoers are used to seeing the variety of safety measures and visual cautions erected at designated swim beaches during the summer months. Those measure include buoys or buoys and markers that line the boundaries of a designated swimming area with water depth less than 5 feet (inspected approximately every two weeks), a beach flag warning system, safety signage and rescue equipment.
The DNR puts up the items prior to Memorial Day holiday weekend and stay out until just after Labor Day when they are collected and stored for the winter months.
Rescue equipment onshore remains at the shoreline for "as long as weather allows," usually collecting them through late September or early October.
"The reason the buoys and beach flag warning system are taken down after the Labor Day Weekend is because the weather patterns begin to change in September," said Pat Whalen, Plainwell District supervisor for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. "September can be unpredictable in terms of high winds and waves and water temperatures, which can often prevent staff from 14-day inspections and removal of the swim buoys."
Whalen said dangers, like strong longshore currents, rip currents and objected submerged below the surface oft the water.
The DNR compiled a list of of other tips swimmers and guests should be aware of while swimming at Michigan beaches:
• There are no beach guards at state parks, so never swim alone, always keep close watch of children and bring U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, especially for new and inexperienced swimmers.
• Water currents near piers, breakwalls and outlets of rivers can be extremely hazardous.
• Weather patterns, especially in the fall months, can change quickly. Check local weather reports and lake conditions and learn about different Great Lakes currents and how to escape them.
• As the Great Lakes water temperatures drop, monitor swimmers for cold water exposure which can result in hypothermia. Water temperatures can change radically in 24 hours.
• Visit Michigan.gov/BeachSafety for tips and information on safely visiting the Great Lakes, including state-designated swim beach locations, the beach flag warning system, Great Lakes currents (and how to escape them) and more.