The recovery was made at about 9:35 a.m. in the 3500-block of North Belmont Harbor Drive, which is near the AIDS Garden Chicago.
The body of a 63-year-old man was recovered. Police said the man died at the scene.
Chicago police are conducting a death investigation.
It's been a busy summer on the water in Chicago for local charter companies and Chicago's first responders. The death at Belmont Harbor is what local charters are warning people about ahead of Air and Water Show weekend and Labor Day weekend.
Chicago's first responders have had their hands full on Lake Michigan this summer with constant water rescues each weekend along the lakefront.
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Boat Safe Chicago is a charter company in the city that has seen a rise in customers, but with that has come more problems.
"Just progressively worse behavior, more intoxication, people not holding anchor, jet skis that have been completely out of control, going way too fast through a no-wake zone with people swimming in the water," said Charlie Koulus a licensed master captain with Boat Safe Chicago.
Numbers show water rescues are right on par with where they were at this point last year in Chicago. According to data from the Chicago Office of the Inspector General analyzed by ABC7, there were 381 water-related rescue calls between June 1 and July 31. That's compared to 375 in that same period of 2024.
While the numbers are similar, the local charters say there's more inexperience from people on the water. They're preparing for more issues when the Air and Water Show comes to town and Labor Day weekend on the horizon.
"We've probably seen about a 10% increase in traffic. Our charters are completely booked daily all weekend," Koulus said. "We're seeing more people renting boats that aren't legally rented, more people renting jet skis and just lack of knowledge lack of awareness of what's going on."
SEE ALSO | Death investigation underway after body pulled from river on Northwest Side, Chicago police say
It's been a similar story across the region as the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project reports 51 drownings so far this year, with roughly half of those coming in Lake Michigan.
"There's been several boating incidents and people swimming in areas that are not designated as swim zones, meaning off the break walls or the lakefront trail in Chicago, where there is no lifeguards," said Dave Benjamin, co-founder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
The Illinois Beach State Park in Zion has also been at the center of more rescue incidents than in the past. Local officials have been asking the state for more resources as they've responded to more than 31 incidents there since 2023.
"While they're doing that and having a full response they can't respond to the house fire or the accident or someone having a heart attack, so it's stealing the resources from the local communities because of this state park," Benjamin said.
With Air and Water Show weekend and Labor Day weekend coming up, people will be rushing to the water and they should make sure to be prepared.