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7-Foot Waves Slam Lake Michigan, Father and Son Drown

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 8:40 PM ET

Despite being, well, a lake, Lake Michigan is large enough that it can produce waves. And over the Fourth of July weekend, those waves were so big – estimated around seven feet, by the National Weather Service – that a father, son duo drown in a “freak accident.”

David Meneou, 65, and his 20-year-old son Jamie were experienced boaters. But on Saturday of the holiday weekend, they found themselves in trouble. They were playing catch in the waters off Dune Acres in Indiana on Lake Michigan, Jamie went out for a pass in the water, he started to struggle, and when his father went after him, tragically, they both drowned.

"I've seen this happen before, where someone overthrows a football to their buddy, and it goes over their head, or they miss the ball — and now it's blowing in the wind away from shore, and they chase after it," David Benjamin of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project said.

Speaking to the water safety issue, and the amount of rescues seen on Lake Michigan, Benjamin continued: "Knowing how to swim is not water safety. If we look at Lake Michigan right now, we are at 17 drownings as of July 8," Benjamin said. "We could have another 30 drownings in Lake Michigan this year."

As for the conditions that day, the NWS had issued a warning in the days prior: “A chance of thunderstorms overnight. Waves 4 to 7 feet overnight. Waves 4 to 7 feet subsiding to 3 to 6 feet Thursday. Waves 3 to 5 feet subsiding to 2 to 4 feet Thursday evening.”

The Great Lakes are one of the world’s foremost novelty surf destinations. Not long ago, in neighboring Lake Superior, novelty wave expert Ben Gravy scored what he called “10-foot” tubes in subzero waters. Gravy continued:

“Tell you what, it was firing! It was 10 foot. I lost my mind out there, so you guys are going to have to forgive me, and give me a little while to recover, but we just scored Minnesota. That was the absolute dream.”

Rest in peace to that poor father and son on Lake Michigan.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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