Marathon swimmer says he quit Lake Michigan swim after going in wrong direction with dead GPS

Dreyer (right) talks to his support team in Lake Michigan, on Aug 8, 2024, on the third day of his attempt to swim from Michigan to Wisconsin. — Jonathan Boeve via AP

A man attempting an epic 80-mile (128 kilometer) swim across Lake Michigan said he gave up on the third day after losing two batteries for a critical GPS device and ending up badly off course.

Jim Dreyer, 60, was pulled from the water last Thursday (Aug 8) after 60 miles (96 kilometers). He said he had been swimming from Michigan to Wisconsin for hours without a GPS, relying only on a wrist compass and his reading of the sky and waves.