Has anyone done this swim before and, if so, did you enjoy it? Is it well attended?
My parents live in San Diego and I'd like to get down to visit them in the next few months. If I could plan it to correspond to some kind of swimming event that would be ideal. Any other events in San Diego County? I know about the La Jolla Rough Water, but that's about the limit of my knowledge. Orange County is a possibility, but I'd prefer something between San Diego and Oceanside.
I've done Coronado twice. It's not a huge event but it's pretty well run. Street parking is hard to find due to the other activities planned. Coronado's beach is beautiful and wide, and the race is held by the lifeguard tower just up the beach from the Hotel Del Coronado. The course is as a simple L shape: swim a few hundred yards into the surf, then cut left for the first half of the race then return. I learned from only two years' participation that the conditions here, like La Jolla, can vary greatly. In 2013 the water was glassy and slightly cool - ideal for my first attempt. In 2015 it was very rough and icy cold, even though conditions were calm and warm in La Jolla just days earlier. I couldn't sight because my goggles were fogged the entire time and had to raise them often to see where I was going. My time was very slow but I was happy not to have had to be pulled from the water as many others were. I would do it again, but won't be in town this Fourth.
Oceanside's Tiki Swim ( www.tikiswim.com ) is fun and growing in participation. I'd like to do the San Diego Sharkfest this year, which I have not yet tried. Hope this helps.
I've done Coronado twice. It's not a huge event but it's pretty well run. Street parking is hard to find due to the other activities planned. Coronado's beach is beautiful and wide, and the race is held by the lifeguard tower just up the beach from the Hotel Del Coronado. The course is as a simple L shape: swim a few hundred yards into the surf, then cut left for the first half of the race then return. I learned from only two years' participation that the conditions here, like La Jolla, can vary greatly. In 2013 the water was glassy and slightly cool - ideal for my first attempt. In 2015 it was very rough and icy cold, even though conditions were calm and warm in La Jolla just days earlier. I couldn't sight because my goggles were fogged the entire time and had to raise them often to see where I was going. My time was very slow but I was happy not to have had to be pulled from the water as many others were. I would do it again, but won't be in town this Fourth.
Oceanside's Tiki Swim ( www.tikiswim.com ) is fun and growing in participation. I'd like to do the San Diego Sharkfest this year, which I have not yet tried. Hope this helps.
