Deep Dive: The Deadliest Great Lake

(hint: it's not Superior)

The Deadliest Great Lake isn’t what you think it is.

Lake Superior is commonly called the most dangerous Great Lake. Superior sank the notorious Edmund Fitzgerald, has produced waves greater than 30 ft in height, and is the largest Great Lake and the largest lake in the world by surface area.

Waves crumble on Lake Superior on a windy day in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

While Superior is said to “never give up her dead”, Lake Superior does not hold the record death toll on the Great Lakes.

According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, in 2017 40 people drowned or died in Lake Michigan. In the same year, Lake Superior claimed 9 lives, Lake Huron 7, Lake Ontario 16, and Lake Erie 16.

In 2018, 43 people drowned in Lake Michigan, 5 in Lake Superior, 8 in Lake Huron, 36 in Lake Erie, and 25 in Lake Ontario. 2019 saw 48 drownings in Lake Michigan, and 5 in Superior. In 2020, 56 people drowned in Lake Michigan, and 2 in Lake Superior. To date in 2021, 35 people have drowned in Lake Michigan and 2 in Lake Superior.

Causes of deaths beyond drowning range from rip currents to pier washoff; falling off boats, kayaking and canoeing accidents, to simply “swimming and vanished under”.

Whatever the cause, the statistics tell the same story: Lake Michigan takes far more lives a year than Lake Superior.

The sun sets over Lake Michigan in the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Why is Lake Michigan so Deadly?

It could simply be that Lake Michigan sees more visitors and boat traffic than Lake Superior. Lake Michigan is studded with major cities like Chicago and Milwaukee, and Michigan’s beaches are an easier and more appealing destination for swimmers than some of the colder and less forgiving beaches and waters on Lake Superior.

With more visitors on beaches, pleasure boaters in the water, and the proximity of larger cities and piers, there are more people recreating on Lake Michigan, and probability wise more opportunity for things to go wrong.

For example, in 2020 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior saw 1.2 million visitors, while Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan saw 1.7 million. (For both parks, this was record number of visitors.)

Otter Creek flows into the Platte Bay on Lake Michigan in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Consider also that visitors to the Sleeping Bear Dunes are likely visiting to swim. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was named one of the “most beautiful places in America” in 2011, with an emphasis on the beautiful beaches and boating.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is more often visited for sightseeing or outdoor adventure sports like hiking or sea kayaking. While plenty of people venture out at the Pictured Rocks by kayak, the messaging on safety is present and clear, and the majority of visitors book a guided tour. Even those who don’t are often rescued by guided tours or the tour boats that regularly visit the area, leaving less room for deadly accidents.

Outside of major parks, Lake Superior sees far less inexperienced boaters, swimmers, and outdoor enthusiasts than Lake Michigan. Of those that do visit Lake Superior, many have heard the adage “the Lake is the Boss”. Around Superior, it’s nearly impossible to walk into a gas station without someone reminding you of the power of the Lake.

The messaging from the communities around Lake Superior and the people advocating for Lake Superior is very clear— Lake Superior is not for casual boaters.

Superior has the reputation of the most dangerous, “gnarliest”, lake, and it’s well earned. But Lake Michigan’s tropical-like beaches, Caribbean water and inviting dune grass are misleading; Lake Michigan is a force to be reckoned with.

Lake Michigan at the Sleeping Bear Dunes as seen from above. Here, you can see a clear sandbar and drop-off. Features like these are a hazard to swimmers.

While the largest recorded wave on the Great Lakes occurred on October 24th, 2017 north of Marquette, Michigan on Lake Superior, clocking in at 28.8 ft in height, 21-23 ft waves were recorded on Lake Michigan in fall of 2014 and 2011 respectively.

For reference, sitting in a kayak in the water about a 2-3 foot wave is when you can no longer see your friend next to you if the wave is between you.

More telling perhaps is the shipwreck count. Lake Superior is estimated to to have claimed 350-550 shipwrecks, depending on the source. Lake Michigan is estimated to have around 1,500 shipwrecks.

The massive discrepancy in shipwreck counts almost definitely is a reflection of a higher volume of shipping in Lake Michigan compared to Lake Superior, but the numbers stand. Whether Lake Superior is more “dangerous” is up for debate, but Lake Michigan is without a doubt more deadly.

Shores of Lake Michigan near Traverse City.

For me, the interesting part of this is the messaging.

We (I, Great Lakes People, the ambiguous “we”) talk about how dangerous Lake Superior is, and caution people to be safe, but we don’t talk that same way about Lake Michigan.

A kayaking death on Lake Superior might make national news, but there are countless other horrifying stories that get swept under the rug every year. Like the 20 year old who died just this year kayaking near Mackinaw. Another kayaker died near Marquette this July. This year, canoeists died on Lake Huron.

These tragic cases are readily available on Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. (GLSRP is dedicated to reducing Great Lakes Drownings through education; one of the most common things people say after a rescue or accident is that they just didn't know).

What’s not available online is the cases I’ve heard just living on a Great Lake and being involved in a paddling community. While none of the stories I’ve heard involve deaths, a lot of them involve really close calls and good samaritans who step in. I’ve heard of two especially harrowing rescues of canoes in open water on Isle Royale, as well as several close calls involving recreational kayaks and stand up paddle boards at the Myers Beach Sea Caves.

All of this is a lot of information, but I tend to think on the side of Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project— a lot of people just don’t know the facts. One of the best things we can do to help prevent drownings and deaths is share information about how they happen in the Great Lakes, and what risks to watch out for.

Love Great Lakes lore? Got time to kill?

• Watch BIG waves on Lake Michigan near Chicago! (and read some arguments about wave size in the comments)

• Read about some Great Lakes Ghosts

• Watch a video about the largest waves on each of the Great Lakes

• Learn about the Bermuda Triangle of Lake Michigan