The Big Lake Grabs Another Victim From Shore

August 12th is a tragic day for a Twin Cities couple visit­ing the North Shore near Lut­sen, MN. That afternoon, the married couple was enjoying a rocky shore near Lutsen. Af­ter a bit, the wife headed back to the cabin they were using. Her 61-year-old husband said he wanted to spend a bit more time on the shore, and stayed behind.

While returning to the cab­in, the woman turned back to see a horrifying sight, a large wave breaking on the rock, her husband falling, and then be­ing pulled by the water into the lake.

She immediately called 911 to report the incident. Accord­ing to a press release issued by the Cook County Sheriff, “She said he was pulled into the wa­ter and could not get back to shore.”

When Sheriff’s deputies ar­rived at the scene, they ob­served an unresponsive body drifting about 100 feet from shore.

Cook County’s search and rescue unit quickly launched a boat at the Tofte boat landing. Due to strong winds and sig­nificant waves that afternoon, the team was unable to re­spond to the scene.

In the meantime, the United States Border Patrol launched its boat from Grand Marais, arrived at the scene, and re­trieved the body. The body was transported to Grand Marais where Search and Rescue staff transferred the body to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office for an au­topsy.

As of press time, the victim’s identity and the exact cause of his death are being withheld pending results of the autopsy.

The Great Lakes Surf Res­cue Project, a primary source for drowning data on the Great Lakes, is a nonprofit 501c3 that tracks Great Lakes drowning statistics and advocates and conducts water safety pro­grams. It reports that so far this year, as of August 15, the five great lakes have claimed 60 drowning victims. Lake Superior, the least populated of the Great Lakes, reported five drownings so far. The Surf Rescue Projects statistics indi­cate that over the years 2014 to 2023, Lake Superior averaged five to six drownings per year.

This incident, along with oth­ers this year in the BWCAW and the rivers that feed Lake Superior, are a reminder for all of us to respect the power of nature. She’s beautiful, but can be unforgiving.