Why do so few people swim in Lake Superior?

The shape and structure of the lake make it conducive to dangerous currents that often take swimmers by surprise. Lake Superior has fewer swimmers than the other lakes. It is the most remote of the five Great Lakes. It is also the coldest, which keeps more swimmers out of the water.



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The beach at Sand Point tends to be warmer for swimming than other park beaches. The clean, clear waters of Lake Superior are beautiful and inviting, though the water is typically cold even for the hardiest swimmers. Shoreline water temperatures in summer usually range from the upper 50s to the upper 60s.

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Our Daily Dips in August at Agawa Bay are by far the warmest and most comfortable since the surface water maxes out at about 20°C (68°F). Floating at the surface, you could almost pretend you're in the Bahamas… … until you accidentally dip your toes a little too deep and get the cold shock of a lifetime!

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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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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 Michigan's riptide and longshore tides are unparalleled when it comes to danger among all the Great Lakes. In fact, due to its unnaturally strong winds, it's not unusual for this lake to have strong rip currents that can be dangerous for swimmers.

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Lake Superior freezes at least in part every year and less frequently in its entirety. The last year that it froze completely was in February 1994. It almost froze completely in March 2003 and this photograph was taken by the GOES satellite on March 7, 2003.

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While there have been past “sightings,” most have turned out to be pranks or misidentifications. The reality is that the largest of the Great Lakes (Lake Superior and Michigan) are extremely deep lakes that are too cold for sharks.

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“The waves hit you every three to five seconds in the Great Lakes, where in the ocean it might be 10 to 12 seconds between waves,” said Guy Meadows, a Michigan senior research scientist.

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Alligators are rarely found in the Great Lakes. Although some alligators thrive in freshwater, it's just too cold in the north for them to survive. They don't typically live farther north than North Carolina. It's unclear how the alligator arrived to Lake Michigan.

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The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is about 8 metres or 27 feet, making it the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes.

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Do you drink the lake water? Lake Superior is the cleanest of the Great Lakes, and many people drink the water regularly (even in their homes). On trip, the decision is yours. For your safety we bring a high quality water filter or boil our water.

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The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is 27 feet, making it easily the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes. Underwater visibility in places reaches 100 feet. Lake Superior has been described as the most oligotrophic lake in the world.

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Lake Superior holds a massive volume of water because of its enormous inland basin and the hundreds of rivers that feed it.

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3. Who Owns Lake Superior? Lake Superior is shared by Canada and the United States of America.

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At 1,943 feet (592 meters), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The depths were first explored thoroughly in 1886 by a party from the U.S. Geological Survey.

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Lake Superior in a nutshell: The world's largest lake by surface area. The largest of the Great Lakes. Contains more water than all four other Great Lakes combined. Water flows from Lake Superior out to Lake Huron.

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Lake Drownings are Especially Common It is easier to drown in freshwater than in saltwater. Lake waters are dark and murky – it harder to spot someone who is drowning. Ice on lakes can be thinner than expected, causing someone to fall through and drown.

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Lake Michigan wrecks: the oldest and the mostest Lake Michigan contains more shipwrecks than any of the other Great Lakes, as well as the oldest recorded one: the French ship Griffon, the first European vessel to sail the Lakes.

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