Last year, 88 people drowned in the Great Lakes, bringing the tally to 640 since 2010, according to according to data gathered by the Surf Rescue Project, a nonprofit trying to prevent drownings on the Great Lakes.

The lakes are “really more like inland seas than they are a lake, and they pose particular dangers,” said Bob Pratt, executive director of education at the nonprofit and a former East Lansing fire marshal.

Listen to Pratt’s tips for staying safe in the vast bodies of water.

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