At the Great Lakes Shark Patrol, our mission is simple: vigilance. While scientists, biologists, and “experts” insist the Great Lakes are shark-free, we ask the harder questions. The uncomfortable questions. The questions that make people nervous in knee-deep water. Questions like: Has anyone checked recently? What about migration? What about stealth?

Worried about sharks in Lake Michigan? Here’s how to survive a shark encounter in the Great Lakes while keeping your toes intact.

Now, with the earlier-than-usual freshwater whale migration wrapping up just last week—spotted as far south as Racine—scientists are predicting a more active and populous shark season than in previous years.