Ultra swimmer abandons attempt to cross Lake Michigan again

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — An ultra swimmer nicknamed The Shark was back on shore Wednesday, having given up on yet another quest to cross Lake Michigan after 40 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.

He posted on Facebook that he was safe.

"There were only two good hours in this 40-hour swim. If you were watching the tracker, I promise I wasn't drunk," Dreyer wrote. "We will talk after a sleep Marathon. Thank you all for your support, Your Love, and prayers."

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.

"What a blow!" he said.

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — An ultra swimmer said he again will try to cross Lake Michigan, from Michigan to Wisconsin, just a few weeks after trouble with a GPS device forced him to give up after 60 miles (96 kilometers).

Jim Dreyer said he would set off early Monday evening in Grand Haven. He said the journey to Milwaukee would cover at least 80 miles (128 kilometers) in the water and last 72 hours or more.

Dreyer, 61, will also be towing a small inflatable boat with supplies.

“Sorry for the last-minute notice, but chaos is often part of this open water swimming game,” he said on Facebook while also posting “Here I Go Again,” a 1987 power ballad video by Whitesnake.

His progress can be tracked online.

Dreyer, whose calls himself The Shark, crossed Lake Michigan in 1998, starting in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and finishing in Ludington, Michigan. But three attempts to do it again have been unsuccessful since 2023.

His last effort began on Aug. 6. The next day, he paused to get fresh AA batteries to keep a GPS device working. But during the process, Dreyer said he somehow lost the bag in the lake.

He had only a compass and nature to help him try to keep moving west. But Dreyer ended up swimming north instead, burning precious time and adding more miles as risky weather approached. A support crew pulled him out of Lake Michigan on Aug. 8.

“What a blow!” Dreyer said at the time.