Alcatraz swim by 9 yo boy

Over the past few years quite a few young kids have swam both Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Many have elected to swim them with wet suits and some without. In August 1998 my son Matt and I swam both events in the Non-wet suit division (Matt won the 10-19 year old age group). Matt was 12 at the time and according to Dave Horning at Envirosports Ltd., Matt was (at that time) the youngest person to RACE across the Golden Gate without the assistance of a tender boat specific to that attempt. Having swam both events twice (1997-1998) it is a tremendous accomplishment for any kid to swim these events and I highly regard the courage and dedication it takes for a youngster to make these swims. The currents are swift, the water is cold and there are Great White Sharks in the area. In fact, the largest population of Great White Sharks in North America are located in and around the Farallon Islands 26 miles NW of the Golden Gate (www.greatwhiteadventures.com/farallons.html.). This is an off the chart accomplishment for these youngsters!

Over the past few years quite a few young kids have swam both Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Many have elected to swim them with wet suits and some without. In August 1998 my son Matt and I swam both events in the Non-wet suit division (Matt won the 10-19 year old age group). Matt was 12 at the time and according to Dave Horning at Envirosports Ltd., Matt was (at that time) the youngest person to RACE across the Golden Gate without the assistance of a tender boat specific to that attempt. Having swam both events twice (1997-1998) it is a tremendous accomplishment for any kid to swim these events and I highly regard the courage and dedication it takes for a youngster to make these swims. The currents are swift, the water is cold and there are Great White Sharks in the area. In fact, the largest population of Great White Sharks in North America are located in and around the Farallon Islands 26 miles NW of the Golden Gate (www.greatwhiteadventures.com/farallons.html.). This is an off the chart accomplishment for these youngsters!