Alcatraz: Challenge “The Rock”
Swimming in San Francisco Bay and competing in the Alcatraz Invitational Swim is something I had wanted to do since talking to a swimmer on Sandridge Beach, Port Melbourne at the start of the Jelna Big Bay Swim some years ago.
This article was originally published by Rod Seeber through Open Water Magazine, Issue 4.
She was wearing a t-shirt with “Alcatraz Invitational” printed on the front, and I stupidly asked her “have you swum Alcatraz?” (durrrh I thought to myself) Her answer and our short conversation cemented my wish to swim it one day too.
And so it’s 2013, and there I am on a Virgin flight to San Francisco, USA and I’m thinking about how much I want to do this. It’s Thursday morning in Melbourne and the swim is on Saturday, I’ll stay over in San Francisco after the swim and catch a flight home on Monday. (Perhaps I should have stayed a few days more, I think to myself). I arrive Thursday morning USA time and check in at my hotel in the Bay Area. I decide a walk to the supermarket would be a good thing. On this trip I’ll have my own style of breakfast in my room. Keep things routine I decide. When I return, a message from my swimming partner lets me know he has arrived too, and we schedule to meet for lunch and a chat.
We both have our own things we want to do in San Francisco, so we decide to meet for dinner on Friday night in a restaurant at Pier 39 which overlooks the bay and “The Rock.” Friday is swim eve, and we are shown to our table on the water’s edge and the sight we see in front of us is frightening! Strong winds, 3 metre white water waves and yachts that are bent over at 45 degree angles. We look at each other. Both of us thinking the same thing.
Saturday, and It’s now swim day and I wake startled in the early morning. My heart is racing and my immediate thought is I can’t do this. I’ve spent all this money to come here, and now I’m feeling like this. What’s wrong with me? Why am I so stressed? I’ve swum in over 100 ocean races in the past 20 years, what am I so worried about? Within minutes I’m asleep again, and my alarm wakes me at 4.30am.
My feelings have reversed and I can’t wait to get down to the marshalling area at The South End Rowing Club (SERC). I meet with my partner at his hotel, and together we walk to the Club. Thankfully the weather this morning is perfect, and when we arrive hundreds of nervous swimmers have gathered and are chatting to each other in the pre-dawn cold. Mingling amongst the crowd is a woman dressed in a shark costume complete with a “jaws” hat wishing us all a safe swim. Nice sense of humor! I later discover that she is the SERC President and has swum the bay more than 20 times.
After marshaling instructions, we are asked to follow the Scottish Piper dressed in a kilt who will lead the swimmers down Jefferson Street, through Fisherman’s Wharf to the ferry terminal at Pier 35. Here we board for the 20 min trip to “The Rock.” On board the time passes quickly and in no time we are being directed to the side of the ferry, where we are herded into three’s and told to jump and swim away from the ferry immediately, or risk being jumped on. We jump! My first action as I hit the water is to look up, where I see the dappled sunlight through the water as I rise to the surface.
Surprisingly, the water is not as cold as we were told, and it is clean and not very salty. I test the salt content by sipping some water, and it’s not too bad. Apparently, the Bay receives ice melt which moves down the West coast from Alaska in spring, hence the increased content of fresh water in the Bay.
I head off in the direction of the finish line, remembering this morning’s instructions from the Race Director that two currents exist in San Francisco Bay. From where we have jumped, we’re told the current is flowing from left to right, so I head right towards the Bay Bridge (in a 2 o’clock direction) in the hope that when I get to the middle of the bay I can pick up the current which should then be flowing from my right, and will direct me back to the finish line (at 12 o’clock.)
Before I left Australia, my wife had suggested I stop mid way in the bay to look back at Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge. I’m so glad I remembered to do it because the memory of both sights will stay with me forever. After stopping mid way, I can now see the finish line at the Aquatic Park to my left and I swim on. The water is so clean and I can hear other swimmers around me enjoying themselves chatting excitedly about the swim. Some are taking photographs. I see a swimmer in front of me and my competitive nature motivates me to try to catch him. I don’t, because I am enjoying the swim so much that I decide to slow down and savour the race.
In no time it seems I am now at the Municipal Pier and the opening to the man made Aquatic Park and the finish line. As I enter the Aquatic Park I can feel the water is much warmer now and I can see the crowd of on lookers, family and friends of swimmers cheering us. As the finish line approaches I can see sand for the first time, and I stand up and run towards the finish. I feel elated as I cross the line and a medal is placed around my neck. I make my way to the Clubhouse where the times are posted on the outside wall. I see mine is 31.42min. over the 1.25 mile course (2k’s) which I’m pretty happy with.
Afterwards my swimming partner and I reflect on the swim over clam chowder at a Bay cafe. San Francisco is famous for its clam chowder which they serve piping hot in a sourdough cob bun. We discuss our swim, and of how 36 prisoners who tried to escape from Alcatraz, 23 were recaptured, 6 were shot dead, 2 drowned and 5 are still missing. The authorities however, still say no escapee ever survived the waters of San Francisco Bay. We laugh and agree that provided the escapees were half decent swimmers, the 5 missing could have made it to land and freedom. The freezing, shark infested waters being just as big a myth as the escapee story itself.
Two years later, it’s now 2015 and my wife and I have planned a holiday to the USA primarily to see Alaska and Washington DC. I note that we will be in California over the America’s Cup Challenge and the Alcatraz Invitational is on immediately following the Yacht races. Another opportunity to swim Alcatraz which I do, but the thrill cannot match the first time.
On September 10th 2016 another 650 brave souls will swim from Alcatraz Island to the SERC Club in the 21st annual Alcatraz Invitational Swim. A friend of mine will be one of them. I recommend anyone who likes open water swimming to challenge “The Rock” and give it a go.
