In Grand Haven, Michigan, an ultra swimmer known as The Shark decided to end his latest attempt to cross Lake Michigan after spending over 36 hours in the water. Jim Dreyer, aged 61, had set out on Monday night from Grand Haven aiming to swim the 82-mile journey to Wisconsin. However, an online tracker revealed his return to the starting point.
This marked Dreyer’s fourth unsuccessful endeavor since 2023 to swim across Lake Michigan, encountering challenges like lake conditions and various factors hindering his progress. Besides swimming the Great Lake, he was also pulling a small inflatable boat containing supplies.
Dreyer gained recognition for his 1998 feat of swimming from Two Rivers, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan across Lake Michigan. During an attempted crossing in August, adverse weather conditions and hallucinations led him to abandon the effort on the third day. The loss of his GPS device’s batteries caused him to stray off course, resulting in disappointment for the experienced swimmer.