At the 1-mile St. Croix Dolphins Sea Swim in mid-January, the athletes start by waiting for the sound of a conch shell and then jumping nearly 7 meters off the Frederiksted Pier into the warm waters of St. Croix.

St. Croix, the largest of the United States Virgin Islands, is well-known for its beautifully clear waters filled with tropical marine life.

We wonder if any of the intellectuals from the swim teams of Harvard University, Stevens Institute of Technology or Holy Cross, who will participate in this year’s event, will calculate the optimal trajectory in order to dive rather than jump off the pier?

Copyright © 2009 by Steven Munatones