Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Vito Bialla (California, USA): I have to say taking our swimmers out to the Farallones in September when the gray suits are there and swimming through the opening and around the small island [see photo on left]. Water temperature is 56 or 57°C; swim is 25 minutes huge swells. It’s amazing how you pick up the pace the last 100 yards to get back in the boat.

Gary Emich, Alcatraz Swimming Society Emeritus: Nothing beats a Friday morning swim with the South End Rowing Club’s Sunrisers. Toes in the water at 6:30 a.m. Head out to the opening of San Francisco’s Aquatic Park, and depending on whether it’s ebbing or flooding, turn left into the Bay towards the Golden Gate Bridge or right towards the Bay Bridge. And, we’re really blessed if it’s that time of year when we get to witness a spectacular sunrise over the Oakland Hills with pink, orange and purple clouds.

There is no better “swimming pool” anywhere – period. BUT, the best part of Friday’s swim is what we’ve christened Beer Friday. After the swim, we head into the sauna to warm up; and we take turns bringing in samples of various craft beers – just enough to take a couple of sips & just enough to get the noise and laughter levels ratcheted up a notch or two above normal. I always walk out of the Club asking myself “do I come here for the swimming or for the entertainment and laughs in the sauna?”

Michael Miller (Hawaii, USA): I have not had one yet, I am still looking, thus I keep swimming.

Barry O’Connor (Ireland): It is one of those days when when the water feels like silk. You can move through it with very little resistance and you aren’t fighting or doubting, just gliding and feeling the peace.

Jacques Tuset (France): Swimming in open water gives me a feeling of freedom and escaping. To swim in a natural environment, without a wetsuit and without fins, gives me the sensation to be as free as water. It is in that state of mind that I love swimming from famous prisons located on islands to the closest continent all around the world. During the 21st century, the sentenced prisoners on prison islands gave up their place to tourists. Those old incarcerations sites became a real challenge to confront me with cold or hot waters, strong ocean currents, howling winds and marine life. Swimming, it is a passion for the pleasure and especially that feeling of escape. It brings for me a feeling of well-being and a sensation of surpassing myself.

Mackenzie Miller (Hawaii, USA): I love my Kailua Beach swims with my dad. We start at the boat ramp, swim down the buoys, then back to where we started, then we swim straight out to Flat Island which is about a quarter mile offshore, and we swim up along the left side to the backside, and swim back in. It’s about a 45-55 minute swim. When swimming back in along the side of Flat Island, if there are waves, we body surf. Best part is that you see the bottom the entire time. Getting out to Flat Island, there’s more coral and animal life, and my dad’s favorite, fishing weights.

Bruckner Chase (New Jersey, USA): My last swim.

Pat Gallant-Charette (Maine, USA): I have to admit that I cannot decide on my perfect swim because I enjoy them all. I love swimming in tranquil water at sunset. The challenge of swimming in rough water is exhilarating. Swimming in cold water is an awakening and swimming in warm water is so relaxing and delightful. I love swimming on a warm sunny day in the cool waters off the coast of Maine. I love the sounds of seagulls squawking during an early morning swim. I love swimming during a heavy rainfall and then seeing a beautiful rainbow. Each swim is perfect.

Adam Walker: The Cook Strait is still my most memorable swim because of spending so much time in the wild with dolphins. However, my perfect swim would be Hawaii minus the Portuguese man o war. If you could swop that for a pod of dolphins like in the Cook Strait I would be grateful. Hawaii has great water temperature and the waters have a magical feel to them. I also love the people there so maybe that also has something to do with it. I will always feel a special connection having faced my toughest test in the Molokai Channel in Hawaii but it was also the swim I learned the most about myself.

Pam Lazzarotto (Canada): I like swimming mixed with adventure and friends, so open water swimming is perfect. Planning and having a training goal is all part of the perfect swim. Traveling to a new swim location with preferably warm beautiful water is ideal. A scrumptious meal after a long tough swim feels well deserved & special with swim pals.

Vicki Keith (Canada): My perfect swim is the one that I look back on with pride and the feeling that I overcame the greatest obstacles. During the double crossing of Lake Ontario, my goggles half filled with my tears as I fought for close to 4 hours through an upwelling of currents that halted my forward progress. Although I lost the speed record for the north-south crossing of the lake that day, I became the first person to complete the 100 km double crossing of the lake.

Christopher Blakeslee (California, USA): My perfect swim is an early morning swim in the breeding grounds of the Great White Shark in Tomales Bay with my Aussie buddy Canno. We wander down to our secret beach about 8 am as the sun is coming up over the Hills near Pt Reyes Station. Water at about 55°F is perfect and a contingent of seals escort us for our hour plus swim, then we retire to Toby’s in Pt Reyes Station for an espresso.

Ben Stubenberg: The perfect open water swim for me is through the clear, warm, turquoise waters of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, we gather in front of a popular beach bar and begin our swim. We stop at designated points along the way to allow slower swimmers to catch up. We chat a bit and then continue to a small cove, sighting in on palm trees to navigate. During the morning swims, we might see a sting ray or barracuda. Sometimes we’ll see some dolphins playing. In the evening, we swim into the sunset. Those who want more of a strenuous workout or prep for a race do the same course again. For many of us, it is the highlight of our week.

Madhu Nagaraja (Canada): My perfect swim has evolved to hanging out with my closest friends: Mark, Loren, Darren, Steve E, Darren, Amie, Jason H, Juan, Brett, Lynn, France, Mauro, Lisa, John Z, Amy, Alan, Eileen L, Mark L, Alex, etc., who are not afraid to dream of all the crazy things that have never been done before.

Meeting them at Coronation Park on the banks of Lake Ontario just before sunrise [see photos on left]. Swim to the mysterious buoy which is about 750 meters out in the lake. The best part is we make sure everybody is safe in the water.

We hangout at the buoy and then head back to Coronation Park. This only gets better from here, as we get to hangout at our favorite local coffee shop BeanThere and talk about the swim, laugh at each other and then conceive plans to do more crazy things in life.

This reminds me of my childhood days. This perfect swim gives me an opportunity to be a child again.

Adrian Sarchet (Guernsey): My perfect swim is the one I didn’t want to do. It’s the swim you face when all hell has broken loose in the non-swimming parts of your life.

You are ill, have been working flat out for weeks and are exhausted. But instead of heading for bed like any sane person you head to the beach in freezing temperatures with the rain coming in sideways.

You stand on the beach thinking, ‘Why am I even here?’ And then you get into the water. It’s like entering a lover’s embrace. The feelings of illness and fatigue drop away – replaced by a buoyancy of soul that leaves you wondering how you could ever have been away from the sea for so long.

Harry Huffaker (Idaho, USA): An 6-mile round-trip outing across the bay on the Big Island between The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Puako with recently departed friend of 67 years, Mike Delaney. The only element missing for some open water fans would be suffering. Tropical beach setting beginning at Mauna Kea Beach. Three miles across to another sandy beach at Puako to be met by friends for a gourmet picnic to be enjoyed before swimming back across the bay to Mauna Kea Beach to enjoy a hot shower and cold beer before heading up to Mike’s home in Waimea for a cold beer and a nap. During the swim watching palm trees and interesting coastline drift by. Warm water, pleasant sea state, sandy bottom, interesting marine life, no worries about being distracted by jet skis or navigational hazards, swimming side by side with arm strokes in synch and minds operating on the same wavelength.

Jennifer Figge (Colorado, USA): It was swimming my first length of a family friend’s pool when I was 3. I can still see my mother and father cheering me on at the other end. Now, at 64, it is 30-40 days with no land in sight. ‘Perfect’ changes over time. It’s really all about diving in.

Miquel Sunyer (Spain): My perfect swim is go swimming with friends on a summer day in Vies Braves, the public sea swimming lanes along Costa Brava and Costa Barcelona. These routes, from 0.5 km to 2 km, are marked with buoys and have information panels out of the water, and they allow everybody to explore the best swimming spots of Costa Brava and Costa Barcelona safely. Thanks to the Braves, I have discovered fascinating underwater landscapes. Besides, these routes run parallel to the coastal paths, so I usually combine swimming with running or walking.

Ted Erikson (Illinois, USA): To swim long and far in total solitude, connecting my inner soul ramblings to unfold the true connection(s) between water and life. As the “H” that connects to “O” making water, so does the “water “connects to the energies of living things to make what we call “life”.

Calum Hudson (UK): River swims, nothing beats the ever-evolving nature of a river swim, the speed of the water the constant change of scenery and wildlife is hard to beat. The River Eden in Cumbria England, specifically a little spot called Lacy Caves, is my favourite. We used to spend summer afternoons as kid leaping from the rocks into the cool deep pools and sitting under the waterfalls that cascade into a natural plunge pool. There’s also a little underwater cave you can swim through and also a cliff we named “The Tower” of which jumping off was a rite of passage into adulthood.

Steven Munatones (California, USA): I love swimming at a comfortable pace with swim buddies of similar speed over a coral reef in the bright sunshine around an island either in the South Pacific or Caribbean, finishing on a beach where he will relax over a barbeque lunch.

What Is Your Least Favorite Open Water Swim?

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Swimmers from around the world described their perfect swim here. Today, in contrast, a handful of swimmers explained their least favorite open water swim:

Pat Gallant-Charette (Maine, USA): Without hesitation, my least favorite swim occurred during a training session along the coast of Maine. I was swimming with a friend in choppy conditions about 100 yards offshore in water depth of six feet. When suddenly out of nowhere, a huge wave crashed over me. I was forcefully sent tumbling to the ocean floor and struck my right shoulder. I was doing somersaults in the turbulence while holding onto my attached safety floatation device. I was being tossed like a rag doll. Finally, I was able to stand and walk onto the beach. I felt lucky to have survived this ordeal. However, I needed shoulder surgery due to trauma from the blunt force.

Adrian Sarchet (Guernsey): My least favourite swim was my very first ‘official’ open water swim – the 4.5 km swim from the Island of Guernsey to the Island of Herm. I had been out of the water for more than 20 years and had agreed to take part in a group charity swim for a veteran’s support charity. Returning to swim training after so long resulted in a dramatic change to my waistline. So dramatic in fact, that the youngsters in my office invited me to take part in a charity soccer match. During that soccer game I severed the Achilles tendon in my right leg and woke up the next day in one of those huge and horrible moon boots they put you in to fix such injuries. I remember being more disappointed at letting the charity and the team down than I was about the injury. So after one very difficult conversation with my surgeon, I started learning to swim in a moon boot with my legs tied together. And I completed the swim in that fashion a short while later. The swim was my least favourite because the moon boot acted as a giant rudder and left me swimming in circles the whole time.

Barry O’Connor (Ireland): Spending 8 hours fighting against a spring tide and a strong headwind, to burning out, and not make the end of the swim. While watching the kelp underneath change direction to.point the same way as I am. Pure frustration.

Pam Lazzarotto (Canada): Swimming alone in cold water with leaky goggles and poor visibility due to fog or no trees or buildings for sighting.

Harry Huffaker (Idaho, USA): Mega ditties to Pam. Masochism has never seemed to do much for anyone.

Vicki Keith (Canada): My least favourite swim was my attempt at swimming butterfly across the Catalina Channel in 1989. Don’t get me wrong, the environment was incredible and the water was beautiful, but I let myself down that day. I remember walking into the green waters of Emerald Bay and swimming away from the shore, thriving in the beauty of the clear waters. I was surrounded by beauty, but I wasn’t where I needed to be mentally.

I remember that the name of my lead boat was the Cold Spaghetti. All day long as I followed the boat I read the name every time I took a forward breath. Cold. Cold. Cold. It was a beautifully, warm swim, but I felt cold because that’s what I was telling my brain. When nighttime hit, I couldn’t draw my brain back where it needed to be. I struggled mentally for hours. A shark swam underneath me, and then turned and went underneath me a second time. Without breaking my stroke, I called for the light to be swung over in my direction. As the light shone my way I watched the shark’s tail disappear and it was gone.

I continue to swim for another hour, but when my crew came to me and told me their concerns about sharks in the vicinity and being in the middle of the shipping lane, I had no mental strength left. When they told me they thought I should get out, I didn’t discuss it or question it like I normally would. Defeated, I just got out. The second I touch the boat, I knew it was an error, but it was too late.

This mental breakdown and the results of the unfinished swim ate at me until the end of that same summer, when I was able to come back and complete the swim.

Miquel Sunyer (Spain): My least favourite swim is probably when I train in cold water, sometimes at 12ºC, and I start to not feel the toes. Then, how painful is when I recover the normal toes temperature.

Gary Emich (California, USA): It’s 6:30 am and pitch black out. The air temperature is 43ºF and the water temperature is 49ºF, a sub-100 morning. Winds are blowing from the northwest at 17 knots and the rain is coming down in torrents. I know where I should be: at home in my flannel sheets snuggling with my wife. Instead, I’m standing on the beach in my swimsuit at San Francisco’s South End Rowing Club along with a handful of other like-minded lunatics. From the frying pan into the fire I plunge and the cold explodes all over me. My body feels like every square inch is on fire, stabbed by miniature daggers. My body tries to shut down. “Breathe, breathe, breathe, stroke, stroke, stroke,” I tell myself. After several minutes the icy water has numbed me, but those first few minutes are pure torture. Why have I continued to do this for the past 20 years?

Jennifer Figge (Colorado, USA): Looking back, I might think that that the strait of Tiran to Egypt would be a least favorite swim. Tasting something ‘not nice’ in the water…I raised my head and the crew pointed to a three leveled ship of sheep, being transferred from New Zealand to Jordan, where their droppings were shoveled into the Red Sea. Swimming in sheep sewage made me realize I must really love this sport.

Tamara Bruce (Australia): My least favourite swim would be constant boat problems, sore shoulders, and feeling alone in the open water.

Patti Bauernfeind (California, USA): I only have one standout swim that was my least favorite since it was the most stressful. I grew up in Florida so I know very well that the expression ‘a gator is in every Florida lake’ is true. Yet, I went along on with Jim Alabiso for a swim in a spring-fed lake during a trip back home. Since it was lined with boat docks with kid slides, I took that to be a sign of ‘no gators here’ and tried to push aside any anxiety.

However, I anxiously swam the entire time. The water was the color of Earl Grey tea so I really couldn’t see what was around me. I was plagued by a feeling of unease, a lot of unease really. I kept remembering the look of the fisherman we met right before getting in the water after we told him our plans. He asked ‘Ya’ll from around here?’ In Florida, that was a polite way of noting that you are NOT from around there and you are about to do something that a local wouldn’t do. In this case, swim across the lake. For good reason, a local would stick stay close to shore or go out in a boat. He did wish us well which was genuine.

It was a lovely lake and it was worth the swim, but I will now stick to just a few places to swim in Florida where I can swim blissfully rather than fretfully. No body of water is entirely risk-free, but some conditions or creatures are notably more dangerous. It’s alligators and jellyfish for me. But I’ll take the jellies over gators any day.

Calum Hudson (UK): Urban city swim, there is a place in London where I train called Shadwell Basin, it’s right next to Thames and grey and dank, it’s got the odd shopping trolly in and city swimming just reminds me I’m not out in the wild open waters of the world.

Steven Munatones (California, USA): I do not mind the presence of waves, currents, tides, jellyfish, sharks or kelp during open water races as much as I do swimmers who purposefully pull on ankles and thrown their elbows at other swimmers around turn buoys. While I understand their sense of competition, I dislike swimmers who purposefully grab at, punch or scratch others; their overzealous physicality makes these races a deep disappointment.

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