MILWAUKEE — The sound of waves on Lake Michigan crashing into the shoreline can be relaxing, but if you’re unaware, the conditions of the water can also be dangerous.  

What You Need To Know

  • Milwaukee does not have any lifeguards at the beaches this summer 

  • A ‘Beach Ambassador’ program was started by the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, Wisconsin Sea Grant,  Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Milwaukee Water Commons and Coastline services

  • The beach ambassadors aren’t life guards, but walk the beaches to educate people on water conditions and situations like rip currents

  • The groups are looking for funding to keep the program running in the future

“The wind definitely affects the waves on Lake Michigan a lot, because Lake Michigan is one of the most dangerous lakes out of all the Great Lakes,” said Jumana Tanner, an intern with the Wisconsin Sea Grant. 

Tanner is spending her summer this year as a Milwaukee Beach Ambassador. 

She and three other beach ambassadors walk Bradford Beach from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. 

“We’re just trying to educate the people about water safety and water quality,” Tanner said. 

That’s important, because this year, there are no lifeguards at Milwaukee beaches for the entire summer season. 

“The shortages have a lot to do with the pools being closed last year for COVID,” said Teresa Coronado with the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center. "Which meant, there were no lessons, which meant there were no lifeguarding classes, which meant the pipeline from swimmers, to lifeguards, to train lifeguards was closed."

Coronado and the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center teamed up with the Wisconsin Sea Grant, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Milwaukee Water Comons and Coastline Services to form the Beach Ambassador program.  

They’re not lifeguards, but the beach ambassadors can teach beach goers about staying safe in different conditions on the water, like rip currents. 

“A rip current is where waves come up, and then a big flow of energy kind of makes a little path to go right back out and whenever that happens, if somebody’s in the wave, they can get stuck in the rip current and it can take them pretty far out, unless they swim to the sides of it,” Tanner said. 

The hope is people learn while at the beach, stay safe, then share that knowledge with others. 

“So that other people in their community feel safe and come down, and also ask us questions,”  Coronado said. "We’d actually like to encourage more people to use the beaches despite the fact that there’s no lifeguards, but only with access to educational resources, which we have.”

That way, people can stay safe in the water all summer long. 

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