GRAND HAVEN (WWJ) - Jim "The Shark" Dreyer was pulled from the waters of Lake Michigan this week, effectively ending his second recent attempt to swim the full 82-mile width between Wisconsin and Michigan as the weather took a turn for the worst.
“It was a 25-hour beatdown, but I did not call for rescue,” Dreyer said in a prepared statement that shed more light into the failed crossing. “Lake Michigan landed a flurry of punches, but I can take a punch and I was still in the fight.”
Dreyer said he was 14.2 miles off the coast of Wisconsin and 18.5 off course to the north when his team sent a boat out in 8-foot waves to check on him and relay important information.
Dreyer had logged 26.7 miles in 25 hours, 38 minutes after he started his trek --attempting to become the first to complete a mid-lake crossing self-sufficiently -- from Milwaukee, Wis to his hometown of Grand Haven, Mich. when his team appeared.
“My team was constantly vigilant while working tirelessly with each other on both sides of the lake and with Coast Guard Station Milwaukee," Dreyer said. "The consensus was that these were the roughest conditions any of my team’s boats could endure, and conditions would get worse, as 10-12 foot waves were forecasted for the next two days. I was informed that If I turned down this rescue and needed rescue later, it would be left to the U.S. Coast Guard.”
Once on site, the boat crew found that Dreyer’s 225-pound supply dinghy had been beaten by the fierce waters of Lake Michigan and was coming apart at the seams.
Dreyer, a world record swimmer and multi-sport athlete, isn't unfamiliar with the power of the Great Lakes. In fact, he probably knows how to swim them better than anyone else. He completed the first-ever mid-lake crossing, between Two Rivers, Wisc., and Ludington, back in 1998 and has since swam across all five of the Great Lakes.
His impressive, record-setting accomplishments earned him the nickname "The Shark" and he was featured in late comic book legend Stan Lee's "Superhumans" TV show in 2014.
In his latest attempt, Dreyer said Lake Michigan was relentless as he was pounded by 3-5 foot waves head-on for about 5 miles offshore -- but then the waves swelled to nearly double in size, crashing against him as 6-8 footers out of the southeast for the rest of his swim.
“I could not make much progress when trying to stay on course by swimming directly east. The best I could do was swim northeast," Dreyer explained. "Even then, I was making much more progress getting off course to the north than progressing east toward Michigan."
Dreyer stated he was trying to hold on just long enough for conditions to improve so he could begin swimming directly east, but the lake never let up.
“I am swimming to support the Coast Guard’s Chief Petty Officers’ Association, not lean on them for rescue and spend taxpayer’s money. That is the last thing I wanted to do," he added.
Dreyer said he was aware that his dinghy was taking a beating on Tuesday (Aug. 5) afternoon and found that the force of the waves was causing the keel and floor to rip away,
He tried to patch the damage by wrapping bungee cords around the craft, but the rips kept getting larger.
"My supply dinghy was on borrowed time, and with worsening conditions for a prolonged period" he stated. "I was in real danger of losing my supplies. A Coast Guard rescue is likely what it would have come down to and I couldn’t let that happen.”
To further complicate his journey, Dreyer said one of his three battery packs that powered his Vuzix Smart Swim technology stopped working. This left him with an unknown amount of battery power, needed to continue viewing the course on his goggles throughout the large portion of the swim with no land in sight.
So, at 6:30 p.m., Dreyer was pulled from the water. It was his second failed attempt to complete the long swim in two weeks after bad weather conditions forced him to call off his escorted journey on August 1st.
Dreyer said while he feels physically fit to take on a third attempt, he won't be able to try again in 2023 -- but it's not out of the question for next year.
“While I am very disappointed this swim ended as it did, I am more confident than ever that I can do this," Dreyer said. "I really wanted to get it done this year, but am out of time. I have other plans for 2024, but somehow, I believe I will find a way to juggle everything and get it done.”
For more information on Dreyer and his accomplishments, visit here.