Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. According to the Channel Swimming Association, Peter Frayne was an observer on Florence Chadwick's swim and had to jump in the English Channel to guide her after the water pump on her escort boat failed within three miles of shore. Prior to that call of duty, Frayne was below decks on her escort boat
Chloë McCardel Makes It Look As Easy As 1-2-3 Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. 10 down...and many more to go. 30-year-old Chloë McCardel is making crossings of the English Channel look easy, both as an athlete and coach. But as the open water swimming community knows profoundly well, nothing great is easy. Behind the scenes, McCardel has
There are certain things that open water swimmers love. The feel of the water - either warm or cold, rough or tranquil. The sun rising or the sun setting. The diving into the ocean to start a swim and the hand touch on the sandy bottom at a start. The view from on top of or in the trough of a large ocean swell. The battle and ultimate breakthrough
Australian Chloë McCardel will begin a 16-hour indoor swim in a swim spa at the SPASA Pool & Spa and Outdoor Living Expo in Melbourne on midnight January 31st. If successful, McCardel will swim the equivalent of one and a half crossings of the English Channel while swimming in place. Swimming into a series of water jets for resistance, McCardel will
Eddie Spelling is working to bring English Channel swimming to the home, school, and office. With his Live Channel Swimming Viewer, Spelling is enabling family, friends, and fans to watch individual and relay channel attempts taking place in real-time. From the warmth and comfort on land, viewers can track the course of swimmers as their progress is
With greater number of individuals of all ages, abilities, and aspirations joining the sport, the number of officials, administrators, coaches, vendors, pilots, and volunteers is also rapidly increasing. It is a large watery world out there and it is getting organized. Over the last several years, a growing number of governing bodies and associations have
In the Marathon Swimmers Forum, Evan Morrison of the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association analyzed the opinions of 175 former, current or aspiring marathon swimmers from around the world. His comprehensive analyses are posted here. Those 175 opinions present a very interesting snapshot of the community that includes at least 710 channel swimmers and
Captain Matthew Webb used a wool swimsuit. Some channel swimming associations allow jammers; others do not allow swimsuits to go past the groin. The issue of swimsuits have been increasingly controversial as the technology of synthetic fibers, use of compression panels, and the amount of body coverage is debated among both pool swimmers and open water
While we swim, we ponder a few issues about the sport of open water swimming... One current issue on the minds of marathon swimmers is the issue of standardization versus localization. We have listened to the push from individuals in the marathon swimming world about the need - or at least the desirability - to standardize rules in the sport. This makes
Spanish International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Swimmer Montserrat Tresserras Dou wrote a wonderful Spanish-language book entitled "Nadando El Estrecho, Sus OrÃgenes Y Su Historia". Translated in English as "Swimming the Strait, Its Origin and History", the book adds brilliantly to any open water swimming collection. The 287-page hard cover
