Ron Chamberlain, Tailor Made For The Man In The Gray Suit
Jellyfish, currents, cold water, sea snakes, lightning, large waves…nothing strikes more fear in the hearts of open water swimmers than sharks. A fin in the water is a scene that open water swimmers dread. A dark body cruising stealthily under the water is even a worse nightmare come true. But a streamlined silhouette screaming up from the depths is the ultimate scare.
But decades ago, Ron Chamberlain, also known as Chambo, coined the well-used American English phrase The Man in the Gray Suit. The phrase puts a different face on the magnificent marine creature that has finally met its match vis-a–vis homo sapiens as the apex predator of the oceans.
Chamberlain is a surfer who has been surfing at San Onofre State Beach since the 1950’s and who provides a daily surf report on Facebook called San Onofre Live, No Jive.
Photo shows a shark swimming in the proximity of Canadian professional marathon swimmer George Park in a race off Rhode Island in 1968.
Copyright © 2013 by Open Water Swimming
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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