There are some pretty crazy people in this world, but sometimes that crazy can be "good" crazy. Case and point, Chicagoan Dan O'Conor.

Dan is a rock and roll fan, an artist, and overall lover of good vibes. But about four years ago, the stress of everyday life and the world around him, started to get to Dan. So he devised a way to clear his head for a few moments every day... jumping into Lake Michigan.

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Can O'Connor is just like any other Chicago rock fan. His first concert was Alice Cooper in 1980 at ChicagoFest at Navy Pier, he loves what his city has to offer, can be spotted regularly at cubs games, and really just enjoys the good vibes that are around him.

But in 2020, all of that was taken away from him. Live Concerts went away, and the world kind of turned into a really negative space. It was too much for Dan to just take in and do nothing about.

"Dan geban jumping in the Lake to curb the incessant negativity brought on by the pandemic, election year politics, and the rioting and looting. It was a simple way to clear his head and find a few minutes of Zen. By documenting these Lake dives on social media, he organically drew more positive feedback."

Thus, The Great Lake Jumper was born.

He soon went viral for his daily Lake Michigan dives, that are taken from his "jumping point" up the coast from downtown Chicago, which you can see the skyline in the background of nearly every single one of his videos.


But what's maybe even crazier is, his jumps aren't limited to just "safe" days to swim. His "ice breaking" videos went viral a few years ago of him jumping through thinner layers of ice build up on Lake Michigan.

Even this weekend, despite a -7 degree ACTUAL temperature, with -25 degree wind chills in Chicago, he still did his classic front flip right into Lake Michigan's NEAR freezing 36-degree waters.  

And, in true rock and roll spirit, Dan dedicates many of his jumps to various rockiversaries - album releases, birthdays, concert dedications, and other various people in his life.

So while you're hunkered down every morning in your warm home, just remember, The Great Lake Jumper is still out doing his thing no matter what.

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