Man Forced to Quit Attempt to Swim Across Lake Michigan Due to Bad Weather

Jim Dreyer, a long-distance swimmer, arrives at Belle Isle in Detroit, Aug. 7, 2013. Dreyer, who swam across Lake Michigan in 1998, said he's returning 25 years later for a longer splash. Dreyer will attempt to swim at least 82.5 miles (133 kilometers), without getting out of the water, from Milwaukee to Grand Haven, Michigan, beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

By Associated Press

August 3, 2023

GRAND RAPIDS — Poor conditions forced a 59-year-old Michigan man to quit an attempt to swim across Lake Michigan after just hours in the water.

Jim Dreyer, of Grand Haven, entered the lake from Bradford Beach in Milwaukee early Tuesday, MLive reported. He planned to swim 82.5 miles to Grand Haven City Beach in Michigan. He expected to complete the trip in 60 hours.

He managed to swim 10 miles on Tuesday before worsening weather conditions forced his crew to pull him from the water. His crew has not said whether he will try again.

Dreyer, who calls himself “The Shark,” successfully swam across Lake Michigan from Two Rivers, Wisconsin, to Ludington State Park 25 years ago. That trip covered 65 miles and took almost 41 hours, MLive reported.

Dreyer had dubbed this summer’s attempt “the silver sequel.”