It may be the first official weekend of the summer, but the Coast Guard is reminding people that water temperatures in the Great Lakes can quickly cause hypothermia.
The Coast Guard considers water temperatures of less than 77 degrees to be cold and capable of quickly causing hypothermia.
Great Lakes temperatures this weekend sit at: Lake Huron, 39-44 degrees; Lake Erie, 65-70; Lake Ontario, 54 degrees; Lake Michigan, 59 degrees; Lake Superior, 38 degrees.
The Coast Guard recommends boaters dress for the water temperature and not the air temperature and always wear a life jacket.
Unexpected entry into cold water can trigger a sympathetic gasp reflex, causing the inhalation of water and lead to drowning, it says.
Regardless of the water temperature, it is important for mariners to file a float plan as well. Be sure to tell a trusted, shoreside source where you plan to go, how long you think you'll be there and when you expect to return.
Having a point to start a search from can make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful rescue.
The Coast Guard did rescue a man from Lake Michigan Saturday.
They say just before 8:30 a.m., the watchstander at Station Manistee overheard a dispatch transmission regarding a person in the water, clinging to his boat and unable to climb back aboard.
Once on scene, they found two people aboard the boat holding onto the man in the water. It was reported the man had fallen overboard from the 27-foot pleasure craft when he lost his footing while attempting to net a fish.
The man had been in the water for approximately 45 minutes and was highly fatigued, the Coast Guard said.
The rescue crew deployed a surface swimmer, who assisted the man aboard the rescue boat where he was treated for hypothermia and an abrasion to his knee.
