Santa Barbara Channel Half Century Club is a group of open water swimmers over the age of 50 years who have successfully swum between one of the California Channel Islands or between the California Channel Islands and the California coastline.
While it is still a relatively young organization with a brief history, of the 53 official solo swims governed by the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association, a remarkable 17% of all the swims have been successfully completed by these swimmers, the esteemed members of the Half Century Club:
The veterans still have the right stuff, it is abundantly clear.
Jim McConica – 12.4 miles (19.9 km) across Anacapa Channel in 2008 (5:26 at age of 57) and 2012 (4:38 and 5:24 at age of 61)
Emilio Casanueva – 12.4 miles (19.9 km) across Anacapa Channel in 2008 (7:45 at age of 68)
Dave Van Mouwerik – 12.4 miles (19.9 km) across Anacapa Channel in 2010 (7:00 at age of 52)
Lynn Kubasek – 12.4 miles (19.9 km) across Anacapa Channel in 2011 (7:08 at age of 53)
Chris Palfrey – 6 miles (9.7 km) from Santa Rosa Island to Santa Cruz Island in 2008 (2:52 at age of 51)
Kevin Murphy – 24.8 miles (29.9 km) across the Santa Cruz Channel in 2007 (17:31 at age of 58)
Ashby Harper – 23.5 miles (37.8 km) across the Santa Cruz Channel in 1984 (16:24 at age of 67)
Peter Urrea – 12.4 miles (19.9 km) across Anacapa Channel in 2007 (8:15 at age of 67)
Chris Layton – 12.4 miles (19.9 km) across Anacapa Channel in 2011 (6:00 at age of 52)
Michael Hird – 12.4 miles (19.9 km) across Anacapa Channel in 2012 (5:48 at age of 50)
Tom Ball – 12.4 miles (19.9 km) across Anacapa Channel in 2012 (7:39 at age of 52)
Emilio Casanueva (shown above) is the founder of the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association. In 2006, Casanueva envisioned an idea of creating an organization which (1) promoted an interest in swimming the various channels surrounding the California Channel Islands, (2) documented all swims which took place and, (3) preserved the swimming history.
Prior to the formation of the SBCSA, only 9 swims were recorded in the Channel Islands (excluding Catalina Channel). During Casanueva’s 4 years as the inaugural president of the organization, 37 swims were successfully completed including several unprecedented swims.
Casanueva learned to swim in the ocean when he was 5 years old in Chile. He loves to swim in the ocean and can frequently be found in the Pacific Ocean in California or Chile. In 2008, he accomplished his first solo channel crossing from Anacapa Island to the California in 7 hours 45 minutes to become a member of the Santa Barbara Channel Half Century Club.
Copyright © 2012 by World Open Water Swimming Association