Coast Guard urges caution to those visiting Little Presque
MARQUETTE — After another fatality, the US Coast Guard is reminding everyone to use caution while visiting a popular park.
Little Presque Isle has seen a recent uptick in cases of visitors getting stranded, swept out to deep water, and more.
The area is popular for a submerged walkway, which allows people to walk to the island. The area is also known for rip currents and shifting tides, which can be made worse by hazardous weather conditions.
“We just want to push that that area is particularly dangerous, especially on days that the wind is up,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Terry Bailey of the US Coast Guard. “Any kind of weather conditions are up, you need to know the forecasted weather and everything of that nature. If you’re in any kind of rip current, you want to swim horizontal to it. You don’t want to try to swim against it, because you’re not gonna win. You want to swim out of it as fast as possible.”
The Coast Guard offers safety tips before you venture into the water:
-Know the weather and tide forecasts.
-Develop a float plan. A float plan is when you notify someone when you’re leaving, where you’re going, and when you’ll be back.
-Bring a personal flotation device, and means of communication.
These tips should help reduce instances of people being pulled out into deep water, which occurred 20 times over the past two months.