The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a Milwaukee man who’s missing and presumed drowned in Lake Michigan off Sheboygan. Officials say 19-year-old Kristopher Kane was about 150 yards from the shore when he walked off a sandbar, and was pulled by out into deep water Monday.
Gene Clark with Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute suggests being cautious on low points such as near a sand bar, especially on a wavy day. As for advice for a swimmer caught in a rip current, Clark says don’t panic, and keep your head above water as the rip currents will often die out past the breaker zone and will not carry a swimmer miles off shore. When reaching milder water, he suggests swimming parallel to the shore, past the rip current, a distance that may only be 40 feet over. Then come in naturally.
Kane is the third person this summer to drown in the Sheboygan waters of Lake Michigan. The Sheboygan Press reports that authorities have been called to the Sheboygan County lakeshore 40 times since June 1st, compared to 17 times last summer. Clark doesn’t believe the lake conditions are any more severe this summer compared to previous years and says its possible the warm weather is bringing more people out to the water.