Tarzan Swimming In Pools And Open Water
Well before there was POW (Pool Open Water), there was the Fleishhacker Municipal Swimming Pool in San Francisco.Opened in 1925, the world’s largest heated salt-water pool was closed in 1971. 305 meters in length and nearly 50 meters at its widest point, the pool held 24.6 million liters of filtered seawater pumped in from the Pacific Ocean and was maintained at 72°F (22°C).
Up to 15,000 spectators lined the deck of the pool to watch swimming heroes like 5-time Olympic gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller, who set 67 world records during his career before he was known as Tarzan, take to the rather chilly salt water.
Gerald Macedo, a world-class swimmer and retired coach, remembers, “It was important to have a sleeping bag to cozy up in between races because it was so cold in and out of the water.”
Cold water was apparently something Tarzan did not have to worry about in the movies – he had other things to wrestle with:
Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source
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.
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