Rip Currents & the Great Lakes by Nathan MacIntyre, CEO of the Rip Current Information Project Rethinking What We Think We Know When most people hear the words ‘rip current’, they picture the ocean, not the Great Lakes shoreline. Here’s the truth: the Great Lakes behave far more like inland seas than small lakes. With large surface
areas, wind-driven waves can build quickly. Shorelines reshape with every storm. Powerful currents can form quickly even on bright, seemingly calm days. It’s time to update our understanding of what these waters are capable of. Let’s Retire the Word ‘Undertow’. A grave misunderstanding about Great Lakes drownings is the term undertow – “a diffuse near-bottom current driven by breaking waves with a relatively weak velocity.” – Dr. Chris Houser, Coastal Geomorphologist, University of Waterloo. It’s a word that sounds dramatic, something that pulls swimmers straight down to the lake bottom – it doesn’t. What most people refer to as undertow (diffuse return), is actually a rip current: a strong, concentrated flow of water moving away from shore.
Rip currents do not pull you underwater, they relentlessly pull you outward, away from land and are strongest on the surface. The real danger is misunderstanding followed by panic, exhaustion and deep water. When swimmers fight the current head-on, their energy drains quickly, fatigue builds, panic escalates and what started as manageable, in seconds becomes critical. Understanding this distinction matters because when swimmers understand what is happening, they can respond differently and help themselves.
Page 14 Port Stanley Villager • April 2026
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