Which Alcatraz swim

Hi Mathew I live in Lake Oswego and have done a number of swims in the Bay with different organizations. I have not done the South End Invitational, so i can't add anything to that. The first swim I did was the Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. The swim was my first cold water swim in years. It was of course a mob scene (1,500 athletes), but i thought the whole event was very well run. I don't know anything about their swim-only events. I did an Alcatraz Swim with Pedro's Water World that was well run and of a moderate size. Pedro's are notoriously more expensive than others. I also did an Aquatic Park to Alcatraz and back to AQ with Pedro (Touch & Go). It was a small group and one of my favorite swims. I just like starting and finishing on a beach Again, a bit on the pricy side. I would do that again - or at least after I do the Swim Around the Rock. I have also done Bob Roper's Golden Gate to Bay Bridge swim. I love this course, just a whole lot of fun and reasonably priced. I had signed up to do the B2B with Pedro last year but had to return home early so I missed it - very disappointed. I had signed up in December of the prior year so the price was very reasonable (but I had to forfeit it). I have also done 2 swims with Leslie Thomas of Swim Art. First a disclosure: Leslie coached me across the Catalina Channel this summer, and will play the same role for MIMS this year and EC in 2013. You might say I have a bias. The first one was Golden gate to Aquatic Park in March. It was set up by chaos. She also guided me on an 11 mile Golden gate to (almost) Hunters Point. I loved the atmosphere and felt it was very well run. Finally, I almost used Gary Emich of Lanelines to Shorelines. He was going to pilot me on a double crossing of the Golden Gate. The weather was not cooperating so I canned it before we left the dock. I hope to make it next year. I went with Gary for that swim because I was told by Leslie Thomas that he knew the tides and currents the best and was the one that could get me across. The tides are tricky, and the boat traffic heavy. I believe he runs smaller groups. I contacted pedro as well but he said it was not a swim he wanted to get involved with. So you should first ask yourself how big a group do I want to start with, When you contact them, are they responsive? How many swimmers will be in the water and how many swim boats will there be. Ask what kinds of surprises you might run into (there always a couple). If you are swimming naked you will be in a small minority so ask if there are separate awards for naked swimmers. As for who has the best support I couldn't tell you. I jump in, swim like hell and if I get off course a kayaker magically appears and gets me redirected. Other than that I am completely oblivious to what is going on around me. Frankly if you are an experienced open Water Swimmer, and can handle the cold, you wont have any problems. Do it for the sheer fun. The fun is the same for all the swims: Great Fun!

Hi Mathew I live in Lake Oswego and have done a number of swims in the Bay with different organizations. I have not done the South End Invitational, so i can't add anything to that. The first swim I did was the Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. The swim was my first cold water swim in years. It was of course a mob scene (1,500 athletes), but i thought the whole event was very well run. I don't know anything about their swim-only events. I did an Alcatraz Swim with Pedro's Water World that was well run and of a moderate size. Pedro's are notoriously more expensive than others. I also did an Aquatic Park to Alcatraz and back to AQ with Pedro (Touch & Go). It was a small group and one of my favorite swims. I just like starting and finishing on a beach Again, a bit on the pricy side. I would do that again - or at least after I do the Swim Around the Rock. I have also done Bob Roper's Golden Gate to Bay Bridge swim. I love this course, just a whole lot of fun and reasonably priced. I had signed up to do the B2B with Pedro last year but had to return home early so I missed it - very disappointed. I had signed up in December of the prior year so the price was very reasonable (but I had to forfeit it). I have also done 2 swims with Leslie Thomas of Swim Art. First a disclosure: Leslie coached me across the Catalina Channel this summer, and will play the same role for MIMS this year and EC in 2013. You might say I have a bias. The first one was Golden gate to Aquatic Park in March. It was set up by chaos. She also guided me on an 11 mile Golden gate to (almost) Hunters Point. I loved the atmosphere and felt it was very well run. Finally, I almost used Gary Emich of Lanelines to Shorelines. He was going to pilot me on a double crossing of the Golden Gate. The weather was not cooperating so I canned it before we left the dock. I hope to make it next year. I went with Gary for that swim because I was told by Leslie Thomas that he knew the tides and currents the best and was the one that could get me across. The tides are tricky, and the boat traffic heavy. I believe he runs smaller groups. I contacted pedro as well but he said it was not a swim he wanted to get involved with. So you should first ask yourself how big a group do I want to start with, When you contact them, are they responsive? How many swimmers will be in the water and how many swim boats will there be. Ask what kinds of surprises you might run into (there always a couple). If you are swimming naked you will be in a small minority so ask if there are separate awards for naked swimmers. As for who has the best support I couldn't tell you. I jump in, swim like hell and if I get off course a kayaker magically appears and gets me redirected. Other than that I am completely oblivious to what is going on around me. Frankly if you are an experienced open Water Swimmer, and can handle the cold, you wont have any problems. Do it for the sheer fun. The fun is the same for all the swims: Great Fun!