California Pier Swims

Chris_OD

Has anyone heard of any swimmers with the goal of starting at the Mexico border, swimming the Imperial Beach Pier, and continuing north and swimming around every pier one encounters, until all of California is done? I was trying to look this up and there may be 50 to 100 piers along the CA coast. Surely it would be a very spaced-out, long-term goal.

evmo

Yes. @scottzornig, @LynnKub, and a few friends did it in 2013-14. I think they've done all except the ones inside San Francisco Bay.

http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2013/08/survivors-fear-no-pier-down-california.html?m=1

http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2013/08/the-joy-of-research-and-discovery-in.html?m=1

http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2014/12/what-comes-around-goes-aroundpiers.html?m=1

Chris_OD

Really. Whoa, I'll read your references. Thanks.

Theo

I was on part of it and it was a fun time. The original start was to attempt to swim around all the piers between Gaviota and end at Imperial Pier during a weekend. We rented motorhomes. Only one person made it in the weekend. Once it got to 8 PM on Sunday night at San Clemente we had to get back to jobs. But the bug bit some of the group to continue to find all the piers in CA including those on the Channel Islands and swim around them all. I think there were 4 or five that did them all. They had a blast over the summer taking on the rest and people would join them when they were in the area. Some of the piers we probably shouldn't have swam around and some are difficult to get to. It would definitely help to do some scouting trips for some of them e.g. Carpinteria, Redondo, etc.

lakespray

There is a very cool event, I think it's pretty much invite only local thing but I believe puts many Tri's to shame. The "Big Richard" they start in Newport Beach, when the get to a pier the swim around it but run between piers and jetties barefoot on the beach all the way to the Queen Mary at Long Beach. Just them a speedo and googles, no wetsuits, no running shoes just an epic throwback concept. In the end is 7 miles of open rough water swimming and 20 miles of barefoot running. http://www.openwaterswimming.com/2012/06/21/no-guts-no-glory-with-the-big-richard/

suziedods

There was also a man who did it years ago, I mean about 15-20 years ago. He was a Dolphin Club member ( whose name of course escapes me ) He was a contractor... Moved south and decided to swim all the piers. Aghh, I can picture his face but not his name.

Lynnkub

Scott Zornig wrote an article about our adventure! Best series of road trips ever!
My one regret was that I was so "in the moment" I didn't document better. I think I would do it again, just with that in mind:
http://openwaterswimming.eu/node/10314

suziedods

Conrad Von Blankenberg. His swimming was pre'social media'... So no idea of what documentation exists.