What’re The Odds Of Ned Denison, One In Several Hundreds
Ned Denison is nominated for the 2013 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year, yet there was one swim that he will remember for all time: his December 30th, 2012 crossing of False Bay from Rooi Els to Miller’s point in 11 hours 5 minutes. This was a crossing of False Bay in South Africa that will be remembered and presented something different and potentially devastating. “I had a short time window so could not wait for a great day,” Denison recalls. “I went on one that would start nice and ‘freshen up’ later.
Everything about that place is the focus on shark attacks. So the mental pressure could have been overpowering, but it turned out to be my best ‘mental performance’ swim ever and physically I attacked the on-coming waves in the afternoon.
We had breakfast with Hugh Tucker (marathoner, observer and maker of a swimming shark cage for False Bay attempts), his wife Fran and Andy Pfaff. It was a great moment when he declared that Andy’s English Channel crossing and my False Bay swims were the greatest he had witnessed in several hundred observations.”
Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association
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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