(Cleveland) - Twenty-three people have drowned in Lake Erie this year.
That's the most amount of drowning deaths in any one of the Great Lakes in 2018. Dave Benjamin is with the the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, and says even though Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, it has dangerous winds and currents.
Also he says recreational activity is increasing in Lake Erie, and many swimmers, especially children, have not been trained in how to handle emergency situations in water.
There have been 64 drownings in the region so far this year, with the most recent one Lake Erie fatality occurring last week, when a man jumped out of his boat at Put-In-Bay.
Lake Michigan is the second deadliest Great Lake with 21 drowning deaths so far this year. Lake Huron has 5, Lake Ontario 14, Lake Superior is the safest with just 1 drowning.
(Photos by Ken Robinson/WTAM)
© 2018 iHeartMedia, Inc.
Hear news updates at the top and bottom of the hour: wtam.com/listen