Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

While Penny Palfrey will swim from Oahu to Kauai in water between 72-74°F (22.2-23.3°C) for an estimated 30-40 hours, Karen Rogers will swim in water in the low 50’s (10-12°C) in her 30-mile (48K) swim from the Farallons Islands to San Francisco and Jamie Patrick will swim in low-60’s (15-17°C) in his unprecedented 66-mile (106K) triple crossing of Lake Tahoe.

Whether the water is 10°C, 15°C or even 22°C, it can feel cold when you are swimming for that long.

With a nice kick-off with three successful swims in the Cook Strait already by Michelle Macy, Steve Junk and Emily Morris – and many more great solo swims and races scheduled, 2010 is shaping up to be the greatest year in the annals of open water swimming history.

Copyright © 2010 by World Open Water Swimming Association