7 saved from Lake Michigan rip currents

HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - Coast Guard auxiliarists and Department of Natural Resources officers worked together to rescue seven swimmers caught up in rip currents in Lake Michigan late Saturday night.

It happened around 10:15 p.m. near Holland State Park.
 
The swimmers had ventured into an area that had been closed earlier in the day due to extreme rip currents. Prior to the night rescue, 12 other people had become caught in the currents.

Rescue crews worked from both the shore and along the north pier, throwing life rings and heaving lines, to pull the swimmers into an area where they could be hoisted out of the water safely.

The DNR and Coast Guard reminded that rip currents can be move as fast as eight feet per second -- much father than a person could swim.

"It is imperative that people remain aware of their surroundings and the dangers that strong winds and large waves can create," said Lt. Maria Wiener, public affairs officer at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan.

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