Swimmer again aborts Lake Michigan crossing

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. ( WOOD ) — Jim “The Shark” Dreyer has — again — aborted his attempt to swim across Lake Michigan.

In a Facebook post shortly before noon Wednesday, Dreyer said, “The swim is over.” He confirmed he was OK, but added “there were only two good hours in this 40-hour swim.” He said he would offer more information later.

Dreyer went into the water near Grand Haven, Michigan, on Monday, with his goal to swim about 83 miles across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee. The online map tracking his progress showed he abandoned the attempt around 11 a.m. Wednesday, having made it about 19 miles from shore.

The map also showed Dreyer made some off-course loops on Tuesday. A social media post from a member of his team indicated he was having some “navigational gear issues” that were later fixed.

In 1998, Dreyer completed a 65-mile swim from Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan. He tried twice in 2023 to make a 25th-anniversary crossing, but neither attempt was successful. Now 61, he tried again last month but had to quit because he lost the batteries for his GPS device and went off course.

The swim was also a charity event, meant to raise money for the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association .

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