Swimmer Calling Himself Shark to Attempt Lake Michigan Again

GRAND HAVEN, Michigan — An ultra-swimmer said he will try again to cross Lake Michigan from Michigan to Wisconsin just weeks after a problem with a GPS device forced him to abandon the race after 60 miles (96 kilometers).

Jim Dreyer said he would leave Grand Haven early Monday night. He said the trip to Milwaukee would cover at least 80 miles (128 kilometers) in water and take 72 hours or more.

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

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

His progress can be followed online.

Dreyer, who goes by the nickname The Shark, crossed Lake Michigan in 1998, starting in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and ending in Ludington, Michigan. But three attempts to do it again have failed since 2023.

His latest effort began on Aug. 6. The next day, he stopped to retrieve fresh AA batteries to power a GPS device. But in the process, Dreyer said, he lost the bag in the lake.

He had only a compass and nature to help him continue west. But Dreyer eventually swam north, losing valuable time and adding miles as dangerous weather approached. A support team pulled him out of Lake Michigan on August 8.

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