ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project is hosting its Open Water Surf Lifeguard In-service Training on Monday, June 13 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lake Michigan Lifeguards from St. Joseph, Bethany Beach, and New Buffalo will be in attendance.

Focusing on data from national and local drowning statistics, identifying potential victims and open water rescue techniques, the training features a classroom learning session and a practical beach and water session.

The classroom session is held in the Berrien County Board of Commissioners Room on the first floor of the Administration Center (701 Main St.). This portion of the training runs from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The beach and water session is held at Silver Beach (101 Broad St.) from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

According to the GLSRP, there have been 1,078 Great Lakes drownings since 2010, with 35 of those occurring in 2022 alone and 18 of which were in Lake Michigan.

“While many are complaining about lifeguard shortages across the United States, we need to shift the focus to the career opportunities of lifeguarding. We are hoping that this lifeguard in-service will motivate the next generation of lifeguards to get back on the beaches where they are needed,” said GLSRP Executive Director Dave Benjamin.

For more information on the GLSRP including Great Lakes drowning statistics, you can visit the GLSRP website.