Chicago Man Braves Icy Water To Plunge Into Lake Michigan 365 Days In A Row

Dan O’Conor is making headlines for plunging into Lake Michigan.

He did it 365 times — in a row.

Saturday (June 12) marked O'Conor's 365th consecutive jump into the lake, enduring even frigid waters during winter months. O’Conor, a bus driver living in Chicago, deemed the streak a way to relieve stress amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was during the pandemic, it was during the protest, it was during an election year. ... So it was somewhere where I could come down here and block all that noise out and kind of be totally present with me in the lake, and find some moments of Zen,” he said, according to the Associated Press.

ABC 7 reports that O’Conor ended up using his daily jumps to raise money for music venues struggling because of the pandemic.

O’Conor added, according to the Associated Press: “People started asking me what this was benefiting and how they could support — and when I say people, I’m talking strangers online, you know. When I started posting the videos on Twitter and Instagram ... I got more wind in my sails there because people started commenting like, ’This makes my day, it’s nice to see this.’”