Grand Haven man's attempt to swim across Lake Michigan cut short by bad weather
Jim Dreyer — the nearly 60-year-old man who sought to freestyle across Lake Michigan for a second time in what he dubbed the "Silver Sequel” — had to quit his attempt about 10 miles into his 82-mile swim as a result of worsening weather conditions.
"The crew had to make a safety call," his team posted Tuesday to social media. "Jim is healthy and doing well."
The forecast, they said, initially had a better outlook, but when the weather turned, safety was what mattered most.
Dreyer, of Grand Haven, is one of two endurance swimmers — the other is Bryan Huffman, of Holland — who had separately planned to cross Lake Michigan, a feat that is not only difficult, but dangerous, this month. Dreyer's attempt was scheduled first.
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Dreyer, who has crossed all five Great Lakes, has spent a lifetime challenging himself in the water.
Nicknamed "The Shark," Dreyer swam Lake Michigan in 1998 — when he was 34 — and then swam the other four Great Lakes. This time, the endurance swimmer started early Tuesday in Milwaukee, and ended before the day was over. He had planned, however, to reach Grand Haven.
Huffman, a 49-year-old ophthalmologist who swam the English Channel last year, is seeking to swim Lake Michigan for the first time later this month, but without a wetsuit, which is an even more formidable challenge. Weather, he told the Free Press, is a significant consideration when he goes.
The quest to swim across Lake Michigan became popular in the 1950s. And even more so after a Chicago car dealership owner, Jim Moran, began offering prizes to anyone who could swim from Chicago to Michigan City, Indiana. In 1961, Ted Erikson, then 33, became the first to do it.
Erikson's son, Jon Erikson, did it in 1971.
The senior Erikson had triumphed over storms and exhaustion to earn some money and enduring glory. The feat was the second line of his obituary in the Chicago Sun-Times in 2021. The first line called him "one of Chicago's greatest open-water long-distance swimmers."
It was unclear Wednesday whether Dreyer would make another attempt.
Supporters said they were glad he is safe, and added that they hope he will try again.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jim Dreyer's swim across Lake Michigan ends due to bad weather
