Home

Zerb's Photo Essays

Two Photo Essays about Lake Michigan
1) Lake Michigan favorite pastimes, the economic impacts of tourism and the comeback of cruises.
2) Lake Michigan swim safety tips, dangerous swimming conditions including rescue and drowning stats over the years.

  • Lake Michigan Beaches Favorite Summer Pastimes and Tourism

    Lake Michigan Summer Favorite Pastime “Beaching It” (Oval Beach) Saugatuck, MI My Beach Photo Gallery

    Follow along with my photo essay for interesting facts about Lake Michigan beaches pastimes, tourism and pleasure cruises!

    Lake Michigan Favorite Pastimes

    • Beaching and sunbathing are the number one favorite beach pastimes, followed by hiking, pier walking, shore walking, camping, swimming, boating, surfing, windsurfing, sand boarding, volleyball, birding, fishing, paddle boarding, building sand castles, watching a sunset, storm watching across the lake, or beachcombing for beach glass, fossils, driftwood, and my favorite, beach stones!

    Lake Michigan Fun Pastimes Sandboarding, Collecting Beach Glass, Surfing Volleyball and Collecting Driftwood

    On a personal note, I have done plenty of beachcombing myself, especially for beach stones and driftwood which I use to make fun birdhouses. My favorite stones to collect are colorful sandstones and wavy patterned metamorphic beach stones that have been shaped and smoothed by the wind and sand action of the lake!

    Lake Michigan Fun Pastime Collecting Beach Stones My Beach Stone Photo Gallery My Beach Stone Photo Essays I and II Interesting Facts and Identifications!

    Hitting the trails and walking the pier catwalk are two favorite pastime beach activities! (St. Joe, Michigan Lighthouse)

    Sand Castle just for fun at Oval Beach, Saugatuck, MI and Three Sand Castles from Grand Haven, MI competitions.

    Major sand castle and sculpture competitions on Lake Michigan in recent years include the Annual Grand Haven, Michigan Sand Sculpture Contest and the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival in Michigan City, Indiana and Pentwater Sand Sculptor Competition in Michigan.

    Lake Michigan Tourism

    Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes are sometimes referred to as the “Third Coast” behind the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. The illustrations below identifies popular beach towns that dot the coasts along the “Circle Tour” attracting local people and tourist by the thousands!

    Lake Michigan Tourism Cont…

    • One of the most scenic routes in the United States is the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. As the name implies, it follows state highways around Lake Michigan, through Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. A map of over 100 lighthouses and the Circle Tour itinerary can be viewed online or ordered.
    Watching a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset is a favorite pastime! My Sunset Photo Gallery

    Tourism is a major economic driver for Lake Michigan coastal towns generating hundreds of millions in annual economic impact per county through visitor spending on lodging, food, shopping and recreation. For instance, in 2024, tourism generated $409 million in economic impact for Muskegon County, Michigan and over $1.4 billion in the Greater Traverse City region in 2022.

    Another favorite pastime is “storm watching“ coming across Lake Michigan from Wisconsin or Chicago My Beach Photo Gallery

    Tourism Continute . . .

    • In 2023, Michigan’s Oceana County (including Silver Lake Sand Dunes) saw $160 million in visitor spending.
    • The broader West Michigan coastal areas rely heavily on tourism, with 2019 data showing $118 million in economic impact for the South Haven, Michigan area alone.
    • Tourism in Michigan statewide brought in a total of $54.8 billion in economic impact in 2024, with approximately 131 million visitors.
    • Wisconsin’s tourism industry also reported a record-breaking $25.8 billion in total economic impact for 2024.
    • Illinois and Indiana each bring in significant tourist economic impacts as well.

    Passenger Travel Across Lake Michigan Then and Now

    • Pleasure or passenger travel across southern Lake Michigan between Chicago and St. Joseph or South Haven, Michigan or even Saugatuck, Michigan just a little bit to the north (not shown on the above map) was big business at the turn of the century!
    • The height of the passenger steamship travel occurred between the 1860’s and 1930’s before rail service and particularly the automobile superseded the steamship.
    • Since the 1950s, pleasure cruises have mostly given way to ferry services on Lake Michigan, in particular transporting people and vehicles to and from one of the various hundreds of islands in the north. These may include Isle Royale, Pelee Island, Beaver Island, Bois Blanc Island or Mackinac Island, to name a few.
    • Today, a special boat route across Lake Michigan is designated between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin and follows the S.S. Badger car ferry, the last coal-fired steam ship operating on the Great Lakes!
    • The Lake Express, established in 2004, carries motorists across the lake between Muskegon, Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
    American Queen Voyages on Lake Michigan

    Pleasure Cruise Ships on Lake Michigan Today

    Today, Lake Michigan pleasure cruises are making a comeback. In 2023, 25,000 passengers wined and dined on Lake Michigan cruise ships adding $700K to the economy!

    Lake Michigan cruises in 2026 feature small-ship, luxury, and expedition options, with major operators like American Cruise Lines, Pearl Seas Cruises or Viking offering 9 to 14-day itineraries covering Milwaukee, Chicago, and Green Bay. These cruises focus on coastal scenery, including stops at Mackinac Island and, for some, Canadian ports. 

    All rights reserved © Fossillady 2026

    Home

  • Lake Michigan Swim Dangers and Safety Tips

    Lake Michigan gentle waves safe for swimming My Lake Micigan Photo Gallery

    Lake Michigan summer fun has a long list of activities people enjoy and the top of that list includes swimming in the lake, especially as a way of cooling off during those hot summer days or splashing around with friends and family! I encourage such a traditional pastime, but when the conditions are safe. Having been a beach patroller for 10 summers, I am aware of the lack of awareness many people demonstrate, especially first time visitors and those who don’t live near the lake’s coastal regions. They simply are unaware of the power of the lake. This photo essay reveals statistics and outlines the dangers and saftey precautions so everyone can have a good time at the beach while practicing safety!

    Lake Michigan Summertime Dangers and Safety Precautions

    • Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes are large, powerful water systems prone to dangerous currents that can threaten even the most experienced swimmer.
    • Lake Michigan’s opposite shores run parallel, causing unique wave shapes. The shapes of these waves are what contribute to rip tides, which are one of the most dangerous occurrences swimmers can encounter in the water.
    • High waves in combination with dangerous currents along beaches and structures make it even more hazardous for swimmers.
    • Some of the most dangerous currents occur near the outlets of rivers and near structures such as piers and breaker walls. I’ve been witness to this when working at Oval Beach as a beach patroller.
    Lake Michigan Calm Conditions Safe for Swimming
    • Lake Michigan is considered the deadliest of the Great Lakes accounting for more rip-current rescues and fatalities than the other four Great Lakes combined, with over 360 total rescues recorded between 2002 and 2020 and 125 deaths.
    •  Lake Michigan’s western coastline experiences the most incidents, with specific hotspots including Holland State Park (28 incidents in one day) and Grand Haven State Park (17 rescues over 19 years).
    • 2020 marked a grim milestone in Lake Michigan with record high water levels and a record number of drownings in its waters – 56 total – the highest number since 2010, when the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project started tracking drownings.
    • By mid-2025, there were 38 total drownings that year in the Great Lakes, with 19 occurring in Lake Michigan, highlighting its persistent danger. 
    Lake Michigan Active Surf – Dangerous Swimming Conditions
    • Since 2010 to 2026 there have been 1,350 total drownings across all five Great Lakes, with Lake Michigan frequently accounting for about half of them.
    • Specific areas, such as Porter County, Indiana, recorded 30 current-related incidents between 2002 and 2020, while Ottawa County, Michigan, had seen over 130 incidents.
    • Many people who come to the beach from out of state are unaware of Lake Michigan’s power. Working at Oval Beach as a beach patroller, I witnessed too many parents who allowed young children to play in dangerous waters unaccompanied, not knowing the risks. It’s not good enough to just keep watch from the beach. During high waves, if I saw that a child was swimming unassisted and without out a life jacket, I would stand on shore in front of that child hoping the parents would approach. Then I could explain and caution them. It only takes a second for someone to get caught in a dangerous rip current and be taken out from shore or be pulled under.

    What to do if you get caught in a rip current? First and ver important, stay calm. A recent non-profit organization has begun advocating the “Flip, Float and Follow” method, developed by Michigan State University. If swimmers feel themselves being pulled out by a current, they should flip over onto their backs, float instead of fight and flow with the current until it weakens enough so the swimmer can escape by swimming parallel to the current along the shoreline. Fighting a current is like running on a treadmill and will quickly exhaust a swimmer.

      Safe Swimming Review: Never swim alone – Avoid swimming during high surf – Avoid swimming near piers, rivermouths, breakers or other structures – Swim with young children and provide lifejackets or other floating devices, never leave them unattended.

      I have written another photo essay about the dangers of Lake Michigan during the winter months titled, “Lake Michigan’s Ice Shelf; the Beauty, the Lure and the Dangers” Unfortunately, early 2026 has reported 5 deaths from people falling through Lake Michigan’s ice shelf.

      All rights reserved © Fossillady 2026

      Home

    Categories