Coronavirus Coastal Closures

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

With the global coronavirus pandemic still surging in many places and instilling fear among many, the number of shorelines, beaches and piers that have been closed are increasing.

Highway signs above informs motorists of the closure of the nearly 13 km of beachfront and pier in Huntington Beach in Southern California.

“What the authorities really mean is to keep our physical distance – not social distancing,” observed Dr. Lyle Nalli, a podiatrist and Catalina Channel relay record holder who continues to see patients and conduct surgeries during the shelter-in-place ordinance in Huntington Beach. “I am still following my regular morning workout, albeit only dryland training. I workout at home on my Vasa SwimErg – and get inspired by world-class athletes like Paralympian Robert Griswold who also trains with his own KAATSU equipment [shown below].

Robert is so strong right now in all his events. When I see him working out so diligently despite having the Paralympics pushed back a year. But he continues to train hard and look forward to winning a handful of gold medals in 2021 at the postponed Tokyo Paralympics. He remains motivated and so do I.”


COVID-19’s impact on other open water swimming events include:

* Molokai Channel in Hawaii
* SCAR Swim Challenge and 20 Bridges Manhattan Island in Arizona and New York
* Cork Distance Week in Cork, Ireland
* Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga in the South Pacific
* Olympic 10K Marathon Swim Qualification Race in Fukuoka, Japan
* Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Tokyo, Japan
* Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco

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