Dangerous ice conditions along Lake Michigan need to be avoided

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Michiana area has seen lots of cold, snow, and definitely ice. While the ice may be pretty to look at, it's very dangerous to walk on especially if you fall into the water. 

Dave Benjamin, Co-Founder Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, "You're going to have less than one minute to control your breathing, 10 minutes of meaningful movement, and less than one hour until hypothermia would settle in, and unfortunately, you know, cause a heart attack. So, you have a very, very small window of opportunity to, you know, try to get out of this freezing cold water." 

Walking to the lighthouse at Silver Beach in Saint Joe Michigan can be very slippery and dangerous. Benjamin says, "If you were to go over the edge of the pier and then hit that, you know, ice out on the water, there's possibility you could go through that near these piers, there are currents flowing under the ice, so it can be very unstable ice. You're putting bystanders at risk of falling in as well as well as first responders responding to the incident. It's a really no-win situation if you were to fall through that ice."

In a situation like this, your only saving grace may be to grab ahold of the ice and help pull yourself up, or to be able to grab your phone to make a call for help. Between the winds and temps, we have seen there have been lots of waves on the lake, and they do not disappear when the ice forms. Underneath the ice shelf are very strong waves that can sweep you under the ice if you fall in the water. 

Near the lighthouse the ice can break up a lot easier due to the waves making it that much more dangerous for those who walk or ride a bike on the ice shelves or pathway to the lighthouse.  

Benjamin says this causes bodies to turn up in the lake once warmer weather rolls around. "It's really, you know, kind of morbid. But what happens is, when we have these thaws, like, like, you know, around Christmas time, we had a freeze, and then it thawed out; the shelf ice was completely gone, but now it's reformed again. Unfortunately, what will happen is, you know, people's bodies will start washing up on the shoreline, usually Michigan or Northwest Indiana, and then every spring, same thing as well."

It's important to put your safety above the photo of the scenic view and avoid traveling on these icy paths that may put your life at risk.