How old were you when you swam your first Lake Michigan 1/2 mile?

Kudos to Dave’s niece Jelly (a.k.a. Lake Monster #59) for braving the tempestuous lake and making her first ever landing at Oak Street Beach at age 10. Per Dave:

THE WATER WAS 75 DEGREES BUT THE 6 INCH TO 12 INCH CHOP KEPT BUILDING UNTIL SHE WAS SWIMMING IN 3 TO 4 FOOT TALL CHOPPY WAVES AT THE 1/4 MILE MARK.

Great job, Jelly!

ADDENDUM: Because of this monumental feat, Jelly is now part of the “Super Elite Ladder #1 Mermaid” division along with, Stephanie Carona, who Dave also taught to swim the 1/2 mile at age 8!

3 Replies to “How old were you when you swam your first Lake Michigan 1/2 mile?

  1. JELLY DECIDED THAT SHE SHOULD SWIM ANOTHER 1/2 MILE TODAY SEEING THAT THE WATER WAS FLAT AND 75 DEGREES. 31 MINUTES AND 54 SECONDS. SHE SAID IT WAS MUCH EASIER TO DO TODAY BECAUSE SHE HAD ALREADY SWAM IT BEFORE.

  2. jelly swam with only her swim suit… no mask or goggles
    before we took off she asked me if it would be a good accomplishment for her. JELLY wanted to do something more then sit in front of a tv and eat junk food like children do all summer long and though she was ready to swim the 1/2 mile to the beach. i made sure she swam past the 1/2 mile marker to make it official. when she finished Jelly asked if I was proud of her ? In 36 years of swimming long distance there i only know of one other child that saw it and that is Stephanie Carona that I taught to swim at age 8. So we now have 2 girls on our SUPER ELITE LADDER #1 MERMAID division. Jelly also jumped in to help me save a father and his daughter that were drowning at ladder #1 when she was 6 years old as two lifeguards stood bye with out helping us. Jelly got a hold of the 6 year old girl and help her back to the ladder.She also surfs – scuba dives and rides the big wave on the inner tubes…Jelly loves the beach. I almost forgot she ran back to ladder #1 barefoot and said if I brought her bike it would have been a triathlon day ! ha ha ha

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