Do Great Lakes sound like the ocean? I mean, like waves

[wishstar]

30. I've been in severe sudden storms on Lake Ontario, nearly drowned once

When I was 14, my sibs and cousins and I all swam out from rocky shoreline in water over our heads to a nice shallow sandbar offshore as we often did during our July get togethers. But on this hot sunny afternoon a freak storm developed and rapidly came over us creating huge waves so we all swimmed toward shore furiously. I was the youngest and weakest swimmer and was overcome with the waves. The others stood on the shore watching me in trouble and my 16 year old cousin swam out and I grabbed onto his shoulders as he carried me to shore. But I swallowed a lot of water and was unconscious and had to be carried to the family cottage where they helped get the water out and revive me.
This favorite cousin who rescued me joined the Navy 2 years later during Vietnam War and after coming home died from a sudden stroke at a young age and I still miss him.

Many years later, husband and I were visiting and walked out to the end of a long lighthouse pier where several people were fishing. The day was clear, calm and sunny. But we suddenly noticed a waterspout offshore so I said we better race to the car. Husband didn't see the urgency, but quickly walked back with me. Before we could reach the beachy shore, the waves overcame the pier sweeping away all of the coolers and fishing tackle and the wind blew sand from adjoining beach area that was so extreme that my car always had sand in every crevice from that time on as we opened doors and hopped in to escape the storm.