Event narrative (NOAA)
At approximately 2:38PM CDT on the afternoon of the 7th, La Pointe Police, La Pointe Fire and Madeline Island EMS were dispatched to Big Bay State Park at the southeast corner of the island for a man that was cliff jumping at the Eagle's Nest cliffs and did not resurface. The man had completed one jump and on the second, succumbed to the rough surf conditions in place (41, M). He was alone in the water at the time. Winds were from the NNE at around 10 mph with gusts to around 20 mph at the time with waves around 2 to 4 feet. A Small Craft Advisory was in effect at the time. The man's body was not recovered until the early afternoon on the 8th. Multiple agencies assisted with the search and recovery efforts including the Wisconsin DNR, US Park Service, USCG, Bayfield Fire Dive Team, Sawyer
Other notable high surf events in Wisconsin
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.