A weekend in San Francisco

aquacaeaquacae Sydney, AustraliaMember

Hi!
I'm finding myself in SF on the weekend of 24/25 September 2016 and am looking for a fun open water swim (well... in the Bay).
Are there groups who meet and swim or are paid adventures the only way to get in the water?
Thanks

Comments

  • ChickenOSeaChickenOSea Charter Member

    Hi from an Aussie (Sydney) expat living in Chicago!
    You HAVE to go to the South End Rowing Club!! I'm a member, even though I only get out there a couple of times a year. Evmo, Suzie Dods and Simon Dominguez (Sydney, too) are local members, as are many more on this forum.
    You can swim around in the little cove in Aquatic Park, near Fishermans Wharf. It's so wonderful.
    I'm excited for you!!

    Chrisgreene
  • suziedodssuziedods Mem​ber
    edited July 2016

    Swimming in SF? Unheard of. (sarcasm font). Get yourself down to Aquatic Park, any hour of the day and avail yourself of the lovely waters of SF Bay. Water is about 60F, sometimes blustery winds but always fun. Aquatic Park is a well used, well protected and well known swimming hole, being built in the 1930's for the public health. You can swim off the beach for free, there is a cold water rinse off at the east end of the park. Parking is the hardest #pokemone go you can ever find but busses 19/30/47/49 and the cable car all come within a block. The "F" line is about 3 blocks away.

    You can also use either the Dolphin Club or the South End Rowing club for a paltry $10 day use fee. There is great information on the DC site about opening hours etc.

    email me off line suziedods@hotmail.com if you want more details.

  • dc_in_sfdc_in_sf San FranciscoCharter Member

    I'm another Aussie expat (Perth) at the South End, Aquatic Park is a great place to swim, and if you are feeling adventurous there are some limited opportunities to pop out of the cove a little (though swimming with locals is strongly recommended as Bay currents can easily exceed your max speed). Unescorted swims outside the cove are otherwise generally a bad idea due to boat traffic and aforementioned currents.

    For a proper Bay excursion (e.g. An Alcatraz or Golden Gate bridge swim) your options are more limited. While the South End and the Dolphin Club both do regular out of cove swims they are generally restricted to club members, so contacting one of the commercial operators is probably your most reliable option.

    There are some other groups (typically with a high crossover to serc/dc membership) that have access to their own (non club) boats to support their swims either in the bay or in the ocean, @evmo might be able to point you in the right direction there.

    Definitely reach out on the forum when you get to town, I live 15 minute walk from Aquatic Park always happy to meet up with a visiting swimmer.

    http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer

  • suziedodssuziedods Mem​ber

    David's right..although the non club swims tend to be outrageously expensive.. Also if you are interested in an Alcatraz tour.. book NOW. as in yesterday. They sell out incredibly fast.

    dc_in_sf
  • aquacaeaquacae Sydney, AustraliaMember
    edited July 2016

    Thanks everyone! The organised swims are fully booked so I'll be sucking it up and paying $$$ to do Alcatraz with a boat!
    @evmo any comments to add? Could you suggest a friendly neighbourhood pilot?

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin

    aquacae said: @evmo any comments to add? Could you suggest a friendly neighbourhood pilot?

    I am not involved with the groups @dc_in_sf alludes to, but here's one suggestion :

    http://swim-art.com/privateswims.html

    suziedodsJaimie
  • I second Evan's recommendation. I have known Leslie for almost 20 years, have worked with her and can not speak highly enough of her. Calm, clear,concise directions, excellent safety protocol, non-competitive and YEARS of experience.
    You won't regret it.

    KarenTevmoJaimie
  • aquacaeaquacae Sydney, AustraliaMember

    Thanks guys.
    I've spoken with her and am locking down a swim from Golden Gate to Bay Bridge... I'd better get my skinny Sydney ass toughened up for some cold

    dc_in_sfJustSwimsuziedods
  • SharkoSharko Tomales BayGuest

    Two Fins Up!!!

    "I never met a shark I didn't like"

  • Sorry for the newbie question, but how does one post a forum topic in the locations and networking sections?

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin

    New Members are required to post at least once in existing threads before they can start new threads.

    Here's a good one to start:

    http://marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/850

    suziedodsgabic415
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