Dangers of ice on Lake Michigan

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- With prolonged temperatures across Michiana, an ice shelf has formed along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.

While the ice at Silver Beach is pretty to look at, it is very dangerous to walk on.

Co-founder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, Dave Benjamin, told ABC57, "You're going to have less than one minute to control your breathing, 10 minutes of meaningful movement, and less than one hour until hypothermia would settle in, and unfortunately, you know, cause a heart attack. So, you have a very, very small window of opportunity to, you know, try to get out of this freezing cold water."

With limited time to respond after falling through the ice, the best course of action would be to grab the ice and pull yourself out or call for help.