However, similarly to other lakes, the most deadly current is the rip current, accounting for 6 of the 19 deaths at Lake Ontario, which means that knowing the signs and strategies to escape rip currents is key when enjoying time at the lake.

Yes, Lake Ontario can and does have rip currents, and they are a serious hazard that swimmers should be aware of.

While rip currents are most famously associated with oceans, they occur in all large bodies of water with breaking waves, including the Great Lakes.

Why Rip Currents Form on Lake Ontario:

1. Wave Action: Strong winds, particularly from the south or southwest, build up powerful waves that break on the shoreline.
2. Sandbars and Channels: Just like on ocean beaches, the lake’s bottom near shore often has sandbars with deeper channels (rips) between them. Water pushed ashore by waves flows back out to the lake through these paths of least resistance, creating a strong, narrow current.
3. Structural Features: Rip currents can also form near piers, jetties, and breakwalls, where water flow is disrupted.

How Dangerous Are They?

• Strength: Rip currents on the Great Lakes can be extremely powerful, sometimes stronger than those in the ocean, and can pull even strong swimmers out hundreds of yards from shore.
• Suddenness: Conditions can change rapidly. A calm-looking day can become dangerous as winds pick up.
• Cold Water: Even in summer, Lake Ontario’s water can be cold, increasing the risk of cold shock and hypothermia, which can weaken a swimmer caught in a current.

Key Locations and Times:

• South and Southeast Shores: Beaches like those in Toronto (e.g., The Beaches, Bluffer’s Park), Ajax, Pickering, Prince Edward County, and the New York state side (e.g., Sandy Island Beach State Park) are all susceptible.
• During