FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 12, 2011
Contact:
The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project
Dave Benjamin, Class Organizer & Media Relations
708-903-0166
Surf Rescue class scheduled for Sunday in Whiting, IN
GREAT LAKES, USA – The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project will be hosting its fifth “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” class Sunday, September 18, 2011, in Whiting, IN.
The “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” class is FREE and OPEN to the public. Feel free to invite your friends, family, and water enthusiasts (Surfers, SUP’ers, Kayakers, Professional Water Rescue Personnel) for an informative water safety class and a fun day at the beach.
“As a Chicagoan, I'm glad to see a surf rescue class come to nearby Whiting,” said Mitch McNeil, Surfrider Chicago vice chair. “Public awareness is a never ending campaign, especially when you consider Chicago as a magnet for a steady stream of transplants, most of whom have never encountered the Lake with all of its wonderful, and terrible, potential.”
In 2010, 74 people drowned in the Great Lakes primarily due to rip currents. As of September 11, 2011, there have been 68 Great Lakes drownings. The “Surf Rescue” class is about saving lives and rip current awareness. If we have a warm fall, some people may continue to swim in the Great Lakes into late September/early October.
“Rip current drownings are demonizing the beaches of the Great Lakes,” said Larry Bordine, Beach Nut Surf Shop owner. “The Great Lakes are very dangerous to those who don't understand them. Understanding rip currents can make the lakes safer for everyone by either avoiding rips or knowing how to escape from them.”
“Training surfers and the general public how to understand the surf conditions and how to recognize and help a struggling swimmer benefits everyone in the community.”
The fifth “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” class will be hosted Sunday, September 18, at the Mary E. Bercik Memorial Pavilion, 119th & Front Street, Whiting, IN. There will be a Meet-n-Greet at 9:30 a.m.; Classroom Session for assessing surf conditions, rip current education, beach safety, rescue techniques, 10:00 a.m.; and a Water Session to practice hands-on surf rescue techniques at 11:15 a.m.
“This training was originally geared for surfers and professional water rescue personnel, but the class has so much valuable water safety information it has been opened up to the general public,” said Bob Pratt, Surf Rescue Class Instructor and current fire marshal in East Lansing, MI.
“There are hardly any lifeguards at beaches anymore,” Pratt added. “Most drownings occur during moderate wave action (two-foot to six-foot), and every beach goer has to be vigilant with their friends and families.”
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MORE INFORMATION about the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project is at:
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH – List of Businesses and Organizations is at:
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