Ultra swimmer abandons attempt to cross Lake Michigan again

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — 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.