Jim “The Shark” Dreyer, is attempting to swim 22 miles offshore across Lake Michigan in honor of America's 250th birthday. However, he's planning on carrying some extra weight in the form of 250 cannonballs.
These cannonballs weigh a total of 1500 pounds and will be used to build a memorial sculpture to honor Combat Veterans in the town of Whitehall, Michigan.
Jim's father, Jack Dreyer, is a combat veteran himself, serving with the mighty 8th of the U.S. Air Force during World War 2.
The number of miles was no coincidence, as Dreyer told Fox News. The number 22 directly correlates with one of the most concerning statistics when it comes to combat veterans.
“That's the number of estimated daily suicides with veterans which is just a tragic, tragic figure. One would be tragic, 22 is certainly tragic. So, I had to pick some distance to swim, and I thought 22 would be the number,” Dreyer says.
Dreyer was inducted in 2014 into Stan Lee’s “League of Superhumans,” a documentary series highlighting normal people with astounding capabilities. He achieved this acknowledgement after towing a 27-ton car ferry across Newport Beach Harbor and, therefore, was dubbed “The Human Tugboat.”
The year 2023 was marked as the “Year of The Shark” as it was the 25th anniversary of the first time he crossed Lake Michigan in 1998, which was the beginning of his remarkable career.
The plan is for Dryer to carry 250 cannonballs, using bungee cords to attach 249 of them to his ankles. The other one will rest on Jim's back, representing his late father.
“That's for my dad. So, I'm hoping my dad is going to be kind to me and not drown me out there cause that one will be trying to push me down,” Dreyer says.
People can apply for an honorary cannonball, as well as track "The Shark" as he starts his swim on August 7 and finishes on August 8, weather permitting. He plans to end at Whitehall’s Goodrich Park during the White Lake Area Maritime Festival.
