2012 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim entry info available

i know a few posters on this board have completed this swim... what is the tidal contribution to this swim? is this swim tougher than the manhattan island swim? There is very little comparision between the two swims. Tampa Bay is by far a more difficult and challenging swim. Manhattan has a substantial tidal assist that works to the benefit of slower swimmers. Faster swimmers tend to be ahead of the tides as you go into the Harlem and Hudson rivers; giving them less time in the flume. In 2004, I had a rather substantial lead going into both the Harlem and Hudson. My lead into the Harlem pretty much evaporated because I was at a standstill and the other swimmers still had the advantage of the current behind them. The same thing going into the Hudson. Compare some of those who have done both swims. There is a pretty large gap between their Tampa and Manhattan times. Outside of the Atlantic City marathon and Lac St. Jean, Tampa has been one of the tougher swims that I've done. There is a bit of a current assist, and like in Manhattan it benefits slower swimmers. (Longer time in the current.) I've done Tampa four times and each swim was entirely different. In 2001, we swam from North to South against the tide. I've done Manhattan twice and they were pretty much the same swim each time (except for my boat driver screwing up in 1998 by swimming me so close to the Intrepid that I could touch it). Manhattan is a fun swim that can give great experience in colder water. However, in my experience, I believe that Tampa Bay is a greater test of one's tenacity and abilities. I coached a swimmer in 2007 for the English Channel and had her enter Tampa Bay over Manhattan because I thought the adversity of the weather, her body, and mind would be best tested there. Hope this helps. Chris Derks

i know a few posters on this board have completed this swim... what is the tidal contribution to this swim? is this swim tougher than the manhattan island swim? There is very little comparision between the two swims. Tampa Bay is by far a more difficult and challenging swim. Manhattan has a substantial tidal assist that works to the benefit of slower swimmers. Faster swimmers tend to be ahead of the tides as you go into the Harlem and Hudson rivers; giving them less time in the flume. In 2004, I had a rather substantial lead going into both the Harlem and Hudson. My lead into the Harlem pretty much evaporated because I was at a standstill and the other swimmers still had the advantage of the current behind them. The same thing going into the Hudson. Compare some of those who have done both swims. There is a pretty large gap between their Tampa and Manhattan times. Outside of the Atlantic City marathon and Lac St. Jean, Tampa has been one of the tougher swims that I've done. There is a bit of a current assist, and like in Manhattan it benefits slower swimmers. (Longer time in the current.) I've done Tampa four times and each swim was entirely different. In 2001, we swam from North to South against the tide. I've done Manhattan twice and they were pretty much the same swim each time (except for my boat driver screwing up in 1998 by swimming me so close to the Intrepid that I could touch it). Manhattan is a fun swim that can give great experience in colder water. However, in my experience, I believe that Tampa Bay is a greater test of one's tenacity and abilities. I coached a swimmer in 2007 for the English Channel and had her enter Tampa Bay over Manhattan because I thought the adversity of the weather, her body, and mind would be best tested there. Hope this helps. Chris Derks