Body recovered
Shown on the map is where the body of a 62-year-old man was found Friday morning after being swept into Lake Superior on Thursday afternoon. (Google Maps screenshot)
Some of the black rocks in Lake Superior near Marquette are seen on a dreary but calm day in December 2025. On Friday morning, after a gale claimed a life the night before, the lake "gave up her dead." (R. R. Branstrom)
Shown on the map is where the body of a 62-year-old man was found Friday morning after being swept into Lake Superior on Thursday afternoon. (Google Maps screenshot)
Some of the black rocks in Lake Superior near Marquette are seen on a dreary but calm day in December 2025. On Friday morning, after a gale claimed a life the night before, the lake "gave up her dead." (R. R. Branstrom)
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CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP -- The person who was swept off Blackrocks in Marquette by a wave during intense conditions on Thursday was found deceased Friday morning.
The 62-year-old man from the Calumet area was knocked down and pulled out into the lake shortly before 3 p.m. on Thursday in what the Marquette City Fire Department called “a sad, harsh reminder of Lake Superior's power.”
A gale on the world’s largest freshwater lake created waves close to 20 feet high on Thursday, presenting dramatic scenes tempting to photographers at the rocky shores of Presque Isle Park in Marquette. It was there, near Blackrocks -- a spot popular for cliff-jumping in the summertime -- that witnesses spotted a man yanked out to sea by the violent storm.
They called 9-1-1 and a search ensued, but conditions prevented rescuers from entering the lake that night.
At 8:22 on Friday morning, “the Marquette Police Department and Chocolay Township Police Department responded to the report of a body in the water in the area of Lakewood Lane in Harvey,” a press release said.
The site is about seven miles southeast of where the man was last seen alive.
Officers located the body “just off the beach and were able to recover it from the water.”
No name was released at reporting time, but the Marquette Police Department confirmed that the body found was that of the individual from the incident of the day before -- a 62-year-old male from Houghton County.
Assisting with the recovery on Friday were the Chocolay Township Police Department, Marquette County Sheriff's Office, Chocolay Township Fire Department and UP Health System – Marquette EMS. The search on Thursday had been carried out by the Marquette Fire Department, Marquette County Sheriff’s Office, Northern Michigan University Police Department, Michigan DNR Conservation, UP Health System - Marquette EMS and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Lake Superior is beautiful, but it demands respect. What can look like manageable waves from shore can quickly become life-threatening conditions. Powerful currents, crashing waves, cold water and sudden changes can turn into a tragic situation faster than you'd think,” read a Facebook post from the Marquette City Fire Department. “Stay away from the water during rough conditions, keep your distance from the shoreline, and don't risk getting close for a picture or a better look. Enjoy its beauty, but respect its power and unpredictability. No picture, adventure or moment is worth your life.”