March 30, 2004

For More Information:

Gene Clark , Wisconsin Sea Grant Coastal Engineering Specialist, (715) 394-8472

James Lubner , Wisconsin Sea Grant Marine Safety Specialist, (414) 227-3291

Ron Kinnunen, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Agent, (906) 226-3687

Chuck Pistis, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Agent, (616) 846-8250

 

Event Web Site: www.miseagrant.umich.edu/workshops/rip_conference04.html

 

Deadly Great Lakes Rip Currents Subject of Regional Conference

 

MADISON, Wis. ( 6/30/04 ) — Rip currents at Wisconsin’s Great Lakes beaches can be as dangerous as those at ocean beaches, overpowering even the strongest swimmers. Preventing drownings from rip currents is the focus of the Great Lakes Rip Current Conference, April 29 at Little Bear Arena in St. Ignace, Mich.

Gene Clark, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant coastal engineering specialist, will attend the conference and will serve afterward as an information resource for Wisconsin beach managers, park superintendents, life guards and beach goers. UW Sea Grant Marine Safety Outreach Specialist Jim Lubner also provides information about rip currents.

In 1999, more than 23,000 rescues at U.S. beaches were related to rip currents, according to the United States Lifesaving Association. It is estimated that nearly 100 people drown each year from rip currents.

Rip currents form when strong winds or large waves push water up on shore. It then rushes back to sea in a powerful flow 30 to 100 feet wide.

If caught in a rip current, swimmers should not panic, Lubner said. They should swim parallel to shore until they are out of the current and then swim toward shore.

The conference will cover what is known about rip current mechanics, wind and wave conditions associated with drownings, ways to educate the public, and other key topics, according to conference organizer Ron Kinnunen, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Agent in the Upper Peninsula .

The registration fee for the conference is $15 before April 25, $25 afterwards, and includes lunch, breaks and conference materials. To request a disability accommodation, contact Ron Kinnunen by April 15 at (906) 226-3687.

For additional conference and registration information, visit the conference website at www.miseagrant.umich.edu/workshops/rip_conference04.html or contact Michigan Sea Grant’s Ron Kinnunen, phone (906) 226-3687, or Chuck Pistis, phone (616) 846-8250.

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Conceived in 1966, Sea Grant is a national network of 30 university-based programs of research, outreach and education dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the United States' coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources. The National Sea Grant Network is a partnership of participating coastal states, private industry and the National Sea Grant College Program , National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration , U.S. Department of Commerce. The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is administered by the Sea Grant Institute on the UW-Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin.

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last updated 25June 2004

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