As Lessons from Alcatraz, by Joe Oakes and Gary Emich (Piano, Piano, 2010) succinctly puts it: “It was part of the job of the institution’s guards and administrators to bring the prisoners to the belief that it would be impossible to escape. This was, after all, Alcatraz. Picture contemplating an escape: you would have to get free of the bars, the security doors, the walls, the barbed wire, the sadistic guards in the gun towers, the patrol boats, and only then would you be in a position to swim through the perilous waters of San Francisco Bay – sharks, boats, currents and all.” Nowadays, of course, plenty of people ‘escape’ from Alcatraz – in fact, there are so many swims, aquathlons and triathlons that the only reason you might not get the chance to do so would be oversubscription to these events. Races are not allowed to start from the island but typically disembark from a boat close by. Swim times can vary anywhere from between 20 minutes to over an hour, depending on a swimmer’s own ability and the currents at the time of the swim. The factors that put off would-be escapees during the prison days can now be controlled for, and a swim is perfectly safe. Strong currents – up to six knots (or nearly 7mph) – can, potentially, be a problem; in essence, you're swimming across a river which makes sighting crucial. Because of this it's not always the fastest swimmer that fi nishes fi rst but the one who best can read the currents and take the best line to the fi nish (see page 34 for more on tides).
The cold is another problem, as typical temperatures in the bay are between 13-15°C. Acclimatisation is necessary and wetsuits make the waters bearable for a lot of swimmers. Sharks – once associated with Alcatraz – actually pose very little danger. Great Whites don’t frequent the bay – they are commonly located in the menacingly named “Blood Triangle”,
west of San Francisco in the Pacifi c Ocean – and sharks that do (the Smoothhound, Soupfi n, Sevengill and Leopard Shark varieties) are very timid and wouldn’t attack humans. The island’s background as a place from where escape was supposedly impossible has led to a myth about Alcatraz that few other open water swimming spots can match. Add to that the awe-inspiring panorama – San Francisco city skyline in front of you, Golden Gate Bridge to your right and Alcatraz to your stern – and you’re guaranteed a truly memorable swim. ∆
Simon Murie is the founder of SwimTrek (
swimtrek.com), the leading provider of open water swimming and coaching camps in the UK and overseas. He is a qualifi ed swim coach and an experienced swimmer with a solo crossing of the English Channel and other big swims to his name. He is passionate about introducing the joys of open water swimming and fi nding new swims.
THE ISLAND'S BACKGROUND HAS
Jose Luis Orta during his four hour crossing
CREATED A MYTH THAT FEW OTHER SWIMS CAN MATCH
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Photos © SwimTrek/ Peg Gerard
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