I certainly wouldn’t discount water temperature as a possible contributing factor in this instance. As a non wetsuit OW swimmer from Colorado my first OW swim of the season will likely start in early May. The water temp will be in the low to mid 50’s. To reduce hyperventilation for that first swim of the season I will get in very slowly and allow my breathing to be fairly normal before I start to swim, I will begin in backstroke mode for a bit and then roll over as the face does seem to be more sensitive to cold water. I’m a swim coach, who leads open water swim clinics and does some private OW coaching. FYI the vast majority of the participants are triathletes. I teach many of my attendees this same method. Anxiety and resulting hyperventilation is a big issue for beginner OW swimmers wetsuit or not. My numerous observations say that it is magnified by colder water. Competitive people may not want to do this technique but if a slower start and a little backstroke prevents hyperventilation and a anxiety attack it might be better then getting pulled from the race or dying. Because Alcatraz races start from a ferry, I’d recommend non acclimatized swimmers to jump not dive and try to slowly breaststroke/tread water away from the ferry to get used to the water before pounding it towards shore. I have personal experience of rescuing a man in his mid to late fifties in a full on anxiety attack while training at local open water site, it turned out OK but it was it was bit wild for a while. Maybe the cardiologist on this board can tell us if an anxiety attack can lead to a heart attack?
All this being said, I do think it’s mainly up to the individual participant to be aware of risks. I looked for a copy of the liability waiver for the “Escape From Alcatraz” to see how clearly they articulated the risks but couldn’t find one on there web site. I remember a fairly intense waiver from when I did the Alcatraz Challenge a couple of years ago and I did find this waiver from Water World Swims who put on several swim events in the Bay. I think it’s very clear what the risks are. EXPRESS ASSUMPTION OF RISK - WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY ASSUMPTION OF THE RISKS OF BAY SWIMMING: Bay swimming is inherently dangerous. Bay swimmers have been injured and killed. For example, a fishing boat once killed a swimmer. Sea lions and other marine animals have attacked swimmers. Swimmers have been injured by objects in the water, both floating and fixed. There may be health hazards associated with pollution in the Bay.
Bay currents, often more powerful than the strongest swimmer, are unpredictable and have swept swimmers off course. BAY WATERS ARE COLD. Temperatures typically range between 45 and 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Swift currents and cold water have precipitated drowning, heart attacks and hypothermia. There are just some of the hazards and dangers associated with Bay swimming. www.waterworldswim.com/EventApplication_2010_FINAL2.pdf Finally after reading several reports and watching some vid's it seems clear to me his rescue attempt was well within the standard of care for this event like this, could it be improved? maybe, but stuff like this happens when we do stuff like this.
I certainly wouldn’t discount water temperature as a possible contributing factor in this instance. As a non wetsuit OW swimmer from Colorado my first OW swim of the season will likely start in early May. The water temp will be in the low to mid 50’s. To reduce hyperventilation for that first swim of the season I will get in very slowly and allow my breathing to be fairly normal before I start to swim, I will begin in backstroke mode for a bit and then roll over as the face does seem to be more sensitive to cold water. I’m a swim coach, who leads open water swim clinics and does some private OW coaching. FYI the vast majority of the participants are triathletes. I teach many of my attendees this same method. Anxiety and resulting hyperventilation is a big issue for beginner OW swimmers wetsuit or not. My numerous observations say that it is magnified by colder water. Competitive people may not want to do this technique but if a slower start and a little backstroke prevents hyperventilation and a anxiety attack it might be better then getting pulled from the race or dying. Because Alcatraz races start from a ferry, I’d recommend non acclimatized swimmers to jump not dive and try to slowly breaststroke/tread water away from the ferry to get used to the water before pounding it towards shore. I have personal experience of rescuing a man in his mid to late fifties in a full on anxiety attack while training at local open water site, it turned out OK but it was it was bit wild for a while. Maybe the cardiologist on this board can tell us if an anxiety attack can lead to a heart attack?
All this being said, I do think it’s mainly up to the individual participant to be aware of risks. I looked for a copy of the liability waiver for the “Escape From Alcatraz” to see how clearly they articulated the risks but couldn’t find one on there web site. I remember a fairly intense waiver from when I did the Alcatraz Challenge a couple of years ago and I did find this waiver from Water World Swims who put on several swim events in the Bay. I think it’s very clear what the risks are. EXPRESS ASSUMPTION OF RISK - WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY ASSUMPTION OF THE RISKS OF BAY SWIMMING: Bay swimming is inherently dangerous. Bay swimmers have been injured and killed. For example, a fishing boat once killed a swimmer. Sea lions and other marine animals have attacked swimmers. Swimmers have been injured by objects in the water, both floating and fixed. There may be health hazards associated with pollution in the Bay.
Bay currents, often more powerful than the strongest swimmer, are unpredictable and have swept swimmers off course. BAY WATERS ARE COLD. Temperatures typically range between 45 and 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Swift currents and cold water have precipitated drowning, heart attacks and hypothermia. There are just some of the hazards and dangers associated with Bay swimming. www.waterworldswim.com/EventApplication_2010_FINAL2.pdf Finally after reading several reports and watching some vid's it seems clear to me his rescue attempt was well within the standard of care for this event like this, could it be improved? maybe, but stuff like this happens when we do stuff like this.
