IMAGES: AWL IMAGES (TOP); ALANNA HALE


CALIFORNIA


time and tide


Members of the historic Dolphin Club have been braving the waters of the San Francisco Bay for over a century. Now, regulars and travellers alike come together against the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge to reap the benefits of a bracing dip. Words: Zoey Goto


Diane Walton clearly remembers the first time she plunged into the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay, almost 20 years ago. “It was so cold that I thought my organs might explode!” the 73-year-old says, her long, grey hair streaming behind her as we sit on a wooden jetty basking in the bright, mid-morning Californian sunshine. One of the local sea lions strung out along the sand barks a laugh as if in response. Today, the water lapping at our ankles is a brisk 12.7C.


But you wouldn’t know it from watching the swimmers around us, who are snapping on goggles and whooping happily as they wade easily into the Aquatic Park, an urban beach on San Francisco’s northeast shore. As regular as clockwork, Diane swims here four times a


week against the cinematic backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge. This morning, though, in her role as president of the Dolphin Club — a volunteer-run, open-water swimming and rowing organisation founded in 1877 — she’s showing me around the club’s handsome mahogany boathouse, which sits at the head of the jetty. Originally a men’s-only fraternity, in more recent


decades it has evolved into the Dolphin Club — one of only two remaining swimming clubs in the city. Women now make up almost 40% of the 2,000-strong members, who range in age from 18 to 94 years old. And, while the club has working-class roots, today it represents a diverse cross section of San Franciscans — there are young tech bros and ageing hippies sharing the sea with an ever-changing roster of in-the-know visitors, who are admitted three times per week.


68 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL “When I’m out there swimming, the mundane


conversations that whirl around in my brain just dissipate,” Diane says as we watch a young woman in a black bikini dive beneath the water. “It’s like a miracle.” She explains how she often shares the sea with herons,


sea lions, harbour seals and sharks — “but just the tiny guys,” she says with a reassuring smile. She adds: “We’re a remarkably diverse bunch who come in all shapes and sizes — this is a safe space for all.” While, admittedly, it’s still considered a little leftfield to


plunge into the bay, San Francisco has long been shaped by the water. Today, wineries such as Treasure Island, on a tiny islet that once hosted a naval base, are utilising the high humidity and cooling mists to create unique small- batch tipples, while downtown a number of restaurants are getting creative with the ocean’s spoils. One of the standouts, Chīsai Sushi Club, has incorporated the invasive purple sea urchin into its menu, allowing diners to restore the ecosystem while they feast. Many of the Dolphin Club’s members have been


swimming in the bay for decades — some for 60 years, she says. “All the research will tell you that the people who are happiest are the ones who are physically active and have community,” Diane says, as a twentysomething man nearby performs star jumps to warm up at the seashore. I spot Quinn Fitzgerald strolling along the pier towards


us, wearing salmon-pink trunks and sipping a takeout coffee. I’ve never swum anywhere more taxing than a heated pool, so Quinn has offered to buddy up for my cold-water swimming debut — or be my “Bay-doula” as he


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