A researcher is testing the waters for dangerous rip currents at the Sand Dunes beach area along US-2 west of St. Ignace.

Steve Hernek, a hydraulic engineer and member of the Mackinac County Water Safety Review Team, has conducted several rip current experiments along Lake Michigan near the Sand Dunes, using dye packets. The packets, the same ones often used by the U.S. Coast Guard and not harmful to the lake, release a florescent green dye that travels along the currents.

The aim of the experiment is to observe how the currents react at different wind speeds, so dangerous conditions can be avoided by swimmers. When a rip current forms, the dye suddenly travels away from the shoreline and out toward the depths of the lake.

Rip currents, common in high winds, form as water piles up in a wave, Mr. Hernek explained. When the wave reaches a sandbar or the shoreline, the excess, pent-up water flows along the shoreline until it can find a channel to escape back toward the lake. That motion can carve a gap in sandbars, an outlet that the excess water will often use to return to the lake. Water passing through the channel can create a rip current that can carry unsuspecting swimmers away from shore, Mr. Hernek said.

The dye studies show that high, sustained winds can amplify rip currents, making them much more dangerous to swimmers. It also found that multiple rip currents can form within the lake.

"It can move fast enough where even the fastest swimmer can't escape," Mr. Hernek said.

Despite that, swimmers should not be alarmed if trapped in a current, Mr. Hernek added.

"If people understand what rip currents are, they're really not that dangerous, as long as you know what to do," Mr. Hernek said.

Swimmers who find themselves being carried away from shore should not fight against the current, Mr. Hernek said. Instead, swimmers should remain calm and swim parallel to the shore until the current weakens, he said. Larger rip currents usually dissipate 200 feet from shore, he added.

He experienced this firsthand when he found himself carried by a rip current 30 years ago.

Mr. Hernek had taken his friend's son, David, to the lake to go body surfing one day. He had warned David not to go past the first sandbar of the lake because it could be dangerous. It was not long before he realized that David had been carried off far from shore while he was body surfing.

Swimming toward David, he realized that he and David both were being carried away by the current. He struggled against the current, and even though his feet were able to touch the ground, the current was still dragging him away.

"I did the wrong thing," Mr. Hernek said.

After a struggle in the current, luckily, Mr. Hernek and David were able to return safely to shore.

At the time, Mr. Hernek had never heard of a rip current, and he had no idea how to react once he was caught up in one.

The results of the studies, as well as the photographs taken during them, will be used to expand local awareness of the currents, Mr. Hernek said.

Earlier, the Mackinac County Water Safety Review Team's seminars on rip current awareness got people to talk more about the currents, he said, and he hopes the most recent dye experiments will continue that trend.

In addition to the dye studies, Mr. Hernek recently built and will test a prototype rescue station, similar to those already placed along the Sand Dunes stretch of beach.

The prototype uses decking material instead of plastic the older models are built with. The decking material is more durable than plastic, which will result in less maintenance, Mr. Hernek said. He expects the prototype to last 30 years before having to be replaced. Standard models are replaced every five to six years.

The prototype is also somewhat larger, enabling rescue materials such as rescue ropes and life rings to be stored there more easily. Life rings can also be attached to the side of the prototype, unlike the original that had its own life ring stand.

Rescue Stations

Prepared

for Summer

New boogie boards, life rings, and rescue throw ropes are being put in place as the Water Safety Review Team is finishing this summer's preparations on the 10 rescue stations located along US-2 beach areas in Mackinac County. Each station contains the lifesaving equipment.

The rescue stations were installed in recent years to prevent swimmers from being carried off by dangerous rip currents. The Water Safety Review Team began its initiative following a 1999 drowning.

Further maintenance on the stations themselves will be conducted over the next two summers.