The first Sharkfest Swim was the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim in San Francisco Bay in 1993. The event was a hit, but the series took time to expand.

Michelle Ruettinger of Enviro-Sports explains, “The second Sharkfest Swim didn’t happen until 2009. It was the San Diego Sharkfest Swim. And every year since then we’ve been adding additional point-to-point races to the series.

We have also had 2 Golden Gate Sharkfest Swims, but we are unsure whether we’ll be able to hold that event next year due to the America’s Cup schedule taking over the San Francisco Bay for most of the summer months.”

The number of participants per race varies greatly. The Alcatraz Sharkfest is the most popular with close to 900 participants each year. The Lake Tahoe event has only about 100 participants each year.

But the series is truly a series. “The San Diego Sharkfest Swim event is the National Championship of the series. We offer a free entry to the first place overall male and female finishers of that year’s Sharkfest Swims,” said Ruettinger.

With a solid history and a promising future, we expect the Sharkfest series – with its catchy name – to continue growing and attracting swimmers from coast to coast.

21st Annual Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim on May 19th, 2013 in Alcatraz/Aquatic Park, San Francisco, California: 1.5 miles in ~60-62°F

3rd Annual Potomac River Sharkfest Swim on June 16th 2013 in Potomac River, King George, California: 3 km in ~72-77°F

4th Annual Lake Tahoe Sharkfest Swim on August 25th 2013 in Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, Nevada: 1.2 miles in ~62-68°F

2nd Annual Boston Sharkfest Swim on September 21st 2013 in Boston Harbor, Boston, Massachusetts: 1.500 km in ~62-66°F

Photos courtesy of Sharkfest Swim.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source