3 days ago
Key to survival and fun in Lake Michigan's surf is knowledge, training
For water safety proponent Mary Ann Best, preaching a fear of Lake Michigan is the wrong approach.
'Instead of telling everybody how deadly the lake is and to be afraid, we want people to handle themselves in the water safely, enjoy water sports and to be able to save themselves,' she said.
Best grew up in Gary's Miller neighborhood along Lake Michigan's shores and has become an accomplished open water swimmer and safety supporter.
She recently established a nonprofit called the Blue Flow Great Lakes Corp., which is aimed at encouraging a culture of being in and on the water safely.
Wednesday's youth clinic that ended under a dark, threatening sky, drew 15 youngsters to Wells Street beach in Miller. Nine instructors took the kids, ages 6 to 15, into the lake on paddle and rescue boards to educate and teach life skills for interacting on the Great Lakes.
As they headed out into the water, Jose Serrano, EMS training chief for the Gary Fire Department, watched from an ATV on the shore, while firefighter Logan McCormick sat on a jet ski just north of the students. Both are GFD water rescue team members.
'We support this class, that's why we're here,' said Serrano. 'People need to be safe and cognizant of what they do. Lake Michigan is very dangerous, and people take it for granted.'
Best, who still lives in Miller, modeled her program after 'Little Nippers,' a popular Queensland, Australia youth search and lifesaving program.
'It's one of the best in the world,' said Best. 'I emailed them a year ago and asked them to work with me to start a program here.'
More emails and Zoom meetings followed and Best received a book from Little Nippers about water safety for kids.
Best and her daughter are revising the book, tailoring it to the Great Lakes. It will be ready for print by the end of the month.
So far, Best said Blue Flow Great Lakes is the lone program in Northwest Indiana. She said there's a similar junior lifeguard program in New Buffalo, Michigan.
Best also hopes the program increases the pipeline of beach lifeguards on open water who need different skills than American Red Cross-trained pool lifeguards.
The kids in the clinic are introduced to lifeguarding and rescue and survival techniques. 'We get them used to swimming in all conditions and teach them the skills to be able to analyze the lake and figure out when it's not a good day to go in,' Best said.
The next youth clinic on July 30 is already full.
Junior program leaders also are taking on a teaching role. 'When youths teach other kids, they learn so much more themselves,' Best said.
Logan Dudzik, 11, who lives in Miller, said she's at the beach nearly every day and took a previous class.
'I wanted to get better in the water and be safe. On a paddleboard, you have to get level with the wind,' she said.
Mariah Smith, 14, of Gary, took part for the first time.
'It was such an experience. I'm a dedicated person and I kept falling off,' she said of her paddleboard trial. 'Next time, I will be more able. Paddling is my favorite.'
Her mom, Jamika Smith, said she learned of the clinic from a friend. She said her daughter loves nature, water and the beach.
'It would be good for her to learn the tricks of the trade. She can swim a little, but I want her to be more comfortable.'
Holli Divich, of LaPorte, brought 12-year-old daughter Lyric to the clinic.
'I just think it's good to learn about water safety and to be safe around water,' she said.
Instructors Ty Simic and Juliet Schmidt, both of Gary, shared an incident with the class that happened to them July 12 while they were on the lake in a Hobie Cat catamaran sailboat.
A strong wind broke its mast and it fell into the water, leaving them adrift.
'We would go where the wind takes us,' Simic said. He rigged another sail on the boom and a friend saw them struggling and called for help.
Quickly, a Gary fire rescue crew arrived just as the couple made it back to shore. 'Call someone, let them know,' said Simic, grateful for the rescue workers.
Best said both Simic and Schmidt wore life jackets and both are good swimmers. Simic was prepared and had tools on the boat.
Blue Flow Great Lakes is also doing pop-up clinics at West Beach in the Indiana Dunes National Park every two weeks.
'Anybody on the beach can sign up for a two-hour session with us… We just walk around and let people know what we're doing and they sign up,' Best said.
All of the clinics are free. Besides assistance from the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant agency, the Miller Community Fund also supports Blue Flow Great Lakes, Best said. Other sponsors include Wells Street Beach and Just Passing Through, a locally-owned business.
Next month, all the participants are invited back to Wells Street beach for a competition including a half-mile swim and a one-mile paddle.
Best has been invited to share information on Blue Flow in South Haven and Empire, Michigan.
'Our goal is to get it going locally and be able to provide the outline for others to get it started,' she said.
Best said she learned water safety as she grew up by the lake.
Recently, she swam the 5-mile length of the Mackinac Island bridge and swam 8.2 miles around Mackinac Island.
She also took part in the Friends of Marquette Park's effort last year to stock the park with 20 loaner life jackets and lifesaving rings.
Her hope is for more beachgoers to be knowledgeable about the water currents, waves and conditions.
'Nobody knows how to act on a wavy day and the more people who are competent, the safer it is.'
For more information, contact Blueflowgreatlakes@
