Great Lakes boating safety: the rules, the gear and who to call
Federal law treats the U.S. waters of the Great Lakes as coastal waters, so you carry what you’d carry on the ocean, visual distress signals included. Carry a VHF radio: Channel 16 is the Coast Guard’s primary distress channel. A cell phone and 911 is your backup. And plan for cold water, even in summer.
What you must carry on the Great Lakes
On top of the standard federal list (life jackets, a throwable from 16 ft, fire extinguisher, sound signal, lights), the Great Lakes add one thing inland lakes don’t have:
Visual distress signals. 33 CFR 175.105(b) defines coastal waters to include “the U.S. waters of the Great Lakes (Lake Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior)” and connected bays, harbors and rivers whose entrance is wider than 2 nautical miles. Boats 16 ft and over carry day and night signals; boats under 16 ft carry night signals between sunset and sunrise.
- Life jackets: Michigan law lets boats under 16 ft, canoes and kayaks carry either a wearable or a throwable for each person, but federal rules still require a wearable life jacket for each person on the Great Lakes, according to Michigan’s DNR handbook.
- Jet skis in Michigan: slow, no-wake speed within 200 ft of a Great Lakes shoreline, except when heading straight out or in.
Each state adds its own rules for kids’ life jackets, jet skis and boater education. Pick your state below.
Cold water: the real Great Lakes hazard
- Cold shock can be just as severe and dangerous in water of 50–60°F as in water at 35°F, and the gasp reflex can be triggered by water as warm as 77°F.
- The gasping and rapid breathing come in the first 2–3 minutes and raise the risk of drowning, even for confident swimmers, long before hypothermia sets in.
- Weather along any large body of water can cause dramatic drops in water temperature, even in the middle of summer.
- Wear the life jacket, don’t just carry it. It buys you the minutes cold shock takes away.
Source: National Weather Service, Cold Water Hazards and Safety
Minnesota’s DNR notes that a third of Minnesota boating deaths happen on cold water, and that Lake Superior is always cold.
Who to call on the Great Lakes
“People in an emergency and need of Coast Guard assistance should use: VHF-FM Channel 16 (156.8 MHz), dial 911.”
U.S. Coast Guard, uscg.mil/contact
- Life in danger: MAYDAY on VHF Channel 16 or the red DSC distress button. On the Great Lakes you can reach the Coast Guard on Channel 16.
- From a cell phone: 911, as an added measure or if you have no radio.
- Breakdown with nobody in danger: a tow service, not 911.
How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Sea Tow vs TowBoatUS
Coast Guard sectors on the Great Lakes
Which Coast Guard sectors cover each Great Lakes state. In a distress you don’t need the sector number: use Channel 16 or 911 first.
| State | Coast Guard sectors |
|---|---|
| Illinois | Sector Lake Michigan: (414) 747-7132 |
| Indiana | Sector Lake Michigan: (414) 747-7132 |
| Michigan | Sector Detroit: (833) 388-8724 Sector Lake Michigan: (414) 747-7132 Sector Northern Great Lakes: (906) 635-3319 |
| Minnesota | Sector Northern Great Lakes: (906) 635-3319 |
| New York | Sector Eastern Great Lakes: (888) 230-4703 |
| Ohio | Sector Detroit: (833) 388-8724 Sector Eastern Great Lakes: (888) 230-4703 |
| Pennsylvania | Sector Eastern Great Lakes: (888) 230-4703 |
| Wisconsin | Sector Lake Michigan: (414) 747-7132 Sector Northern Great Lakes: (906) 635-3319 |
Numbers are each sector’s 24-hour command center line as published on uscg.mil, checked Oct 2026. Toll-free 8xx numbers may not connect from a foreign SIM or a satellite phone. Coast Guard phone numbers by region →
Miles and knots on the lakes
NOAA’s Coast Pilot for the Great Lakes (Coast Pilot 6) gives distances in statute miles, not the nautical miles used on the ocean. Check which unit your plotter and your forecast use before you plan a crossing.
Great Lakes state boating laws
VesselSOS on the Great Lakes
- Life in danger? One tap dials 911. The screen shows your GPS position and a word-for-word script: say “Boat emergency, I’m on the water” and the name of the lake, river or bay you’re on.
- On the coast and the Great Lakes it also shows which Coast Guard sector covers your position, with that sector’s 24-hour line as a second Call button, and a VHF Channel 16 MAYDAY script filled with your boat’s details for you to read on your own radio.
- A live link for family ashore (Plus, free during the beta): your position, speed, course and phone battery in any browser, no app needed on their end. You send it by text yourself.
- Not an emergency? The tow screen has Call buttons for the TowBoatUS and Sea Tow 24-hour dispatch lines, or your own member number.
What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t call the Coast Guard for you and isn’t connected to 911 or any rescue system. Nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late. The return-time check only asks “Are you OK?” on your own phone. It doesn’t replace a VHF radio, a PLB or EPIRB, or the life jackets the law requires.
iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. Not in the App Store yet, no Android. US support (911 routing, American English) is in beta version 1.4 and later.
Quick answers
Do you need flares on the Great Lakes?
Yes. The U.S. waters of the Great Lakes count as coastal waters under 33 CFR 175.105(b), so federal visual distress signal rules apply: day and night signals on boats 16 ft and over, night signals between sunset and sunrise on smaller boats.
Should I call 911 or the Coast Guard on Lake Michigan?
If you have a VHF radio, use Channel 16 or the DSC distress button: it is the Coast Guard’s primary distress channel. Call 911 from a cell phone as an added measure or if you have no radio.
Sources
- eCFR, 33 CFR 175.105 (definition of coastal waters)
- eCFR, 33 CFR 175.110 (visual distress signals required)
- National Weather Service, Cold Water Hazards and Safety
- Michigan DNR boating handbook (Boat Ed, 2026)
- Minnesota DNR Boating Guide
- U.S. Coast Guard sector pages on uscg.mil (24-hour lines)
Checked October 2026. Laws change; confirm with your state boating agency before you go.