CLASSIC SWIMS ALCATRAZ
Named Isla de los Alcatraces (Island of the Pelicans) by 18th century Spanish explorers, after the birds found nesting here, this imposing rocky outcrop located in San Francisco Bay, California, has always had a reputation of isolation. Cut off from the outside world by the cold and strong currents of the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was considered impossible to escape from, and a place of evil. Even before the arrival of the conquistadors, the local Ohlone tribe banished transgressors here. From the 1860s Alcatraz was used as a US Army penitentiary – a deeply unpleasant place where flogging and branding (“D” for Deserters, “T” for Thieves) of inmates was commonly practised.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the island came under the jurisdiction of the US Federal Government and was turned into the country’s highest security prison – a title it held until 1963 – hosting some of America’s most notorious felons. Notable inmates were Al Capone and Robert Stroud (better known as the Birdman of Alcatraz). There were numerous escape attempts but none were known to be successful.
NEED TO KNOW: ALCATRAZ ∆ Water type: Salt ∆ Distance: 1.5 miles ∆ Max depth: 10m ∆ Water temp: 13-15°C ∆ Issues: Tides, cold, events very popular ∆ Estimated cost:(race entry): $120-$400 ∆ Location base: San Francisco, California, USA
∆ Difficulty ranking: ∆ Iconic ranking:
Obstacles to escaping from Alcatraz were both physical and physiological. As well as the obvious barriers that high-security prison posed, an additional deterrent was the 1.5mi swim in the cold waters of San Francisco Bay. The chances of success were small, and authorities attempted to minimise the chance of any successful swim by restricting physical exercise and supplying hot showers (as compared to cold showers in the rest of the federal prison network), so there was no possibility for acclimatisation.
ESCAPE THE ROCK
Each issue we look at one of the world’s most significant open water swims. This month Simon Murie makes like an escaped convict and breaks out of the legendary Alcatraz prison
HAVE A GO If you fancy escaping yourself, there are many choices. Prices range from $120 up to $400. Commercial events include: Alcatraz Challenge Swim and Aquathlon (
tricalifornia.com), Sharkfest Swim (sharkfestswim. com) and the South End invitational (
south-end.org/ invitational). Or sign up for private / small group, non- competitive crossings with Swim Trek (
swimtrek.com)
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Image © Google
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