Are there undertows in Lake Michigan?

These are terms that people commonly use to describe dangerous currents. However, since there are no tides in the Great Lakes (needed to form a rip tide) and currents don't pull a person down under the water (undertow), they are a bit inaccurate. Instead, we call these dangerous currents.



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Underwater currents can form in lakes, rivers and oceans, and there are many reasons why they happen.

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Lake Michigan is generally clean and safe for swimming but it can become contaminated with harmful bacteria.

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To escape a rip current, you should go with the flow of the water until the current dissipates and swim parallel to the shoreline. Once out of the current, swim back toward shore.

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According to the National Weather Service (NWS) Great Lakes Current Incident Database (GLCID), the Great Lakes averages around 12 drowning fatalities per year related to dangerous currents.

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Not only is this lake massive - spanning 307 miles in either direction - but its shores also run parallel, causing unique wave shapes. The shapes of these waves are what contribute to rip tides, which are one of the most dangerous things swimmers can encounter in the water.

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Lake Michigan in particular is the roughest of the Great Lakes, and poses a major risk to those thinking of taking a dip.

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Most Dangerous Currents at Lake Michigan These typically come from swimming at a beach with sandbars, which are a common feature around Lake Michigan. Rip currents are a constant danger in any sufficiently large body of water.

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The blue in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron is sediment brought to the surface when strong winds churned the lakes. The green in Lake Erie and in Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay is algae, which builds on the surface when winds are calm.

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Lake Erie is the fourth-largest lake in North America (by surface area) and the eleventh-largest worldwide. It is the Great Lakes' southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume. By the 1960s, Lake Erie had become the most polluted of the Great Lakes, owing to the substantial industrial presence along its coasts.

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Lake Superior is the largest, cleanest, and wildest of all the Great Lakes.

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The Water Monster of Lake Erie Bessie, who is also called South Bay Bessie because of the location of the sightings, has been seen multiple times since the 1800's. It is said that she is covered in gray scales, has a large head, and is around 30 to 40 feet long.

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According to the article, the most dangerous creature in Michigan lakes is the Sea Lamprey. I has a round, sucker-like mouth and really harsh, sharp teeth put together in circular rows.

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Lake Erie is the most polluted lake in Michigan and the fourth largest of the Great Lakes.
  • This aerial view reveals oil-contaminated water pollution being released into Lake Erie from the steel mills in Nanticoke. ...
  • Beavers have thick brown fur, short front legs, and big webbed back feet, making them good swimmers.


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Sediment, dissolved plant bits, tiny photosynthesizing plankton — they all influence the dance between light and water. So does the angle that sunlight hits the water or the presence of clouds overhead. It seems like every time you look at Lake Michigan, it's a different color.

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Lake Michigan is considered the lake that holds the most deaths among the five Great Lakes in North America. Despite its reputation for powerful undercurrents claiming a minimum of a few lives each year, the warm, welcoming water is a favorite swimming spot for locals and visitors.

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