Swim Events | Escape from Alcatraz | Big Swims

Big Swims

The Dolphin Club provides an ideal training ground for swimmers who wish to challenge themselves by undertaking long-distance swims in San Francisco Bay and elsewhere. Our members have distinguished themselves in many marathon swim events, including:

Laura Burtch and John Selmer training with Pilot Don Harrison, July '95

• Catalina Channel (20 miles)
• Coronado Island (11.7 miles)
• Lake Tahoe (length) (21 miles)
• Manhattan Island (28.5 miles)
• Maui Channel (solo and relay, 11 miles)
• Sausalito to San Francisco (6 miles)
• Candlestick Point to Aquatic Park (10 miles)
• Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge span (5.5 miles)
• Bay Bridge to Golden Gate Bridge (5 miles)
• Huntington Beach to Seal Beach (8 miles)
• Strait of Gibraltar (13 miles)
• Capitola Pier to Santa Cruz Pier (6 miles)

The English Channel
Duke Dahlin conquers the Channel, July 2003

The ultimate challenge for any marathon swimmer is the English Channel, the chilly, current-swept 21 miles (as the crow flies) between England and France.

Year

Name

Date

Time

Direction

1953

Toufie Blaik

Aug 3, 1953

16:05

F to E

1985

Suzanne Heim

Aug 18, 1985

10:11

F to E

1986

Suzanne Heim

July 30, 1986

10:02

E to F

1986

Suzanne Heim

Aug 10, 1986

10:24

E to F

1988

Diana Abele

Aug 5, 1988

11:20

E to F

1990

John Davies

July 31, 1990

10:01

E to F

1994

Laura Burtch

July 30, 1994

11:45

E to F

1995

John Selmer

Aug 10, 1995

10:58

E to F

1996

Becky Fenson

July 19, 1996

10:12

E to F

1996

Steve Walker

July 19, 1996

13:31

E to F

1996

Peter Urrea

Aug 8, 1996

14:38

E to F

1999

Heather Royer

Aug 6, 1999

10:43

E to F

2000

Suzie Dods

Aug 7, 2000

12:37

E to F

2003

Phil Scarborough

Aug 7, 2003

12:08

E to F

2003

Duke Dahlin

Aug 8, 2003

14:37

E to F

2004

John Ottersberg

Aug 14, 2004

14:36

E to F

2004

Si Bunting

Aug 25, 2004

9:44

E to F

2005

Neal Rayner

Aug 10, 2005

13:50

E to F

2005

Brian Herrick

Aug 11, 2005

12:58

E to F

2005

Tom Keller

Aug 17, 2005

11:23

E to F

Compiled by Richard Cooper — August 2005

For a firsthand feel to swimming the channel, check out Neal Rayner's journal and photos. Neal successfully swam the Channel this summer.

Becky Fenson swam the English Channel in 1996 and twice completed the swim around Manhattan Island, in 1994 and 1999. Heim-Bowen swam the Channel twice in one year; Selmer completed his crossing the year he turned 50. Egyptian-born Toufie Blaik swam the Channel twice, in 1953 and 1955, before joining the Dolphin Club in 1957.

The English Channel swim is also undertaken as a relay race. Five Dolphin teams, including two all-female teams, have completed the Channel relay, which requires each of six participants to swim an hour at a time until the entire distance is covered.

English Channel swimming is governed by a rigorous set of rules enforced by the English Channel Swimming Association. Swimmers wear only a standard swimsuit and one latex cap; they are monitored at all times by an official observer in a pilot boat. Swimmers may accept food and beverages, but they are not allowed to touch the support boat at any time during their swim.