A huge volume of water flows in and out of the Golden Gate twice a day, every day. At peak ebb or flow, it's far faster than any human can swim. Any Bay swim is planned entirely around the tide table. So to hold this race at all, they need a weekend day when the tide will be slack or just starting to move between 6 and 8 am. That consideration is surely far more important than a few degrees' fluctuation in water temperature.
Also, in the Alcatraz race that I did, we were given advice about the best route to follow if you were at all concerned about missing the entrance to the finish area, and I don't recall it being a problem for anyone. I'd be surprised if the majority of people who were removed were removed for that reason.
A huge volume of water flows in and out of the Golden Gate twice a day, every day. At peak ebb or flow, it's far faster than any human can swim. Any Bay swim is planned entirely around the tide table. So to hold this race at all, they need a weekend day when the tide will be slack or just starting to move between 6 and 8 am. That consideration is surely far more important than a few degrees' fluctuation in water temperature.
Also, in the Alcatraz race that I did, we were given advice about the best route to follow if you were at all concerned about missing the entrance to the finish area, and I don't recall it being a problem for anyone. I'd be surprised if the majority of people who were removed were removed for that reason.
