What makes the Great Lakes (USA) so dangerous for ships and swimmers?
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Honestly the biggest issue is that the 3 of the Great Lakes States (Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin) are renowned for *tons* of small freshwater lakes (and familiarity with casual boating) and people who think they can tackle inland seas just because they know how to put a boat in the water. That leads to a lot of poor boatsmanship, and given how many Americans live on/near the Great Lakes (e.g. the Chicago metro area is the third largest in the US), that means a lot of poor boaters.
You also get weird/unpredictable waves, but from what I recall that has more due to the bottom of the lakes (they were all carved out by glaciation) and how you get sudden rises/shoals coming up out of nowhere. They’re also large enough that, again, they’re honestly closer to freshwater inland seas, complete with currents and tides. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but again; lots of filthy casuals with small boats.
On top of that is weather; the Great Lakes aren’t that far afield of tornado alley, and thus while they don’t get that many tornados, they get a lot of the same weather patterns that *create* tornados, meaning supercells that can intensify relatively rapidly. And that’s not even talking about winter weather.
And then beyond all that; Lake Superior tends to be cold enough to give you hypothermia, even in the middle of summer. Michigan and Huron aren’t that much warmer out in the deeper sections.
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