Ultra swimmer abandons attempt to cross Lake Michigan again

An ultra swimmer nicknamed The Shark appeared to be back on shore Wednesday, giving up on yet another quest to cross Lake Michigan after more than 36 hours in the water.

Associated Press

September 4, 2024

Jim Dreyer heads out into Lake Michigan in Grand Haven, Mich., Aug. 6, 2024, in his attempt to swim to Wisconsin. (Blace Carpenter/The Tribune via AP)

GRAND HAVEN—An ultra swimmer nicknamed The Shark appeared to be back on shore Wednesday, giving up on yet another quest to cross Lake Michigan after more than 36 hours in the water.

An online tracker showed Jim Dreyer returned to Grand Haven, Michigan, where he started his planned 82-mile (130-kilometer) swim to Wisconsin on Monday night.

Dreyer, 61, has tried four times since 2023 to swim across Lake Michigan, including an effort just a few weeks ago, but has been unsuccessful due to lake conditions or other factors.

He was not only swimming one of the Great Lakes this week but also towing a small inflatable boat with supplies.

Dreyer first made a splash when he crossed Lake Michigan in 1998, starting in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and finishing in Ludington, Michigan.

In August, lake conditions and hallucinations forced him to give up on the third day. Dreyer lost the batteries for his GPS device and ended up swimming far off course.

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