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6-hour Qualification Swim locations around the world
loneswimmer
IrelandCharter Member
Many of us get emails asking for advice for upcoming Channel swims. One question that arises is people trying to find locations where others may be doing qualification swims for MIMS, Catalina, English Channel etc, particularly the EC. The first time doing a 6 hour is a pretty big deal and it's always better (I think) if done with others either more experienced and/or just as trepidatious.
Dover is obviously the location for many Channel qualification swims, on Saturdays and Sundays after the season starts (which will be Sat 28th April this year), usually 9am.
Sanycove in Ireland is another popular location with the last Sunday of Ned's Distance week being set aside for qualification swims (Sunday June 24th this year) and with qualification swims also being done there on other dates with support from other swimmers usually being available.
It might be a good idea for those of you who know any places where qualification swims will go ahead as part of a larger community (like CIBBOWS, La Jolla etc, Melbourne, Perth) (even if you don't know the date) to share any in for you might have for Aspirants who could join you? I've had a few requests for the Eastern US coast, south of New York (Florida, Louisiana, Carolina).
Dover is obviously the location for many Channel qualification swims, on Saturdays and Sundays after the season starts (which will be Sat 28th April this year), usually 9am.
Sanycove in Ireland is another popular location with the last Sunday of Ned's Distance week being set aside for qualification swims (Sunday June 24th this year) and with qualification swims also being done there on other dates with support from other swimmers usually being available.
It might be a good idea for those of you who know any places where qualification swims will go ahead as part of a larger community (like CIBBOWS, La Jolla etc, Melbourne, Perth) (even if you don't know the date) to share any in for you might have for Aspirants who could join you? I've had a few requests for the Eastern US coast, south of New York (Florida, Louisiana, Carolina).
loneswimmer.com
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Promontory Point in Chicago is perfect and I'd be more than happy to observe (or swim with) anyone there. You don't even need a kayak because there's a perfect place to have your feeds thrown in from land. Water temperature is very unpredictable though.
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
Cheers, Dan
Dan Graham - Gone Swimming Ltd.
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www.darren-miller.com
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania U.S.A.
If the weather is good then I can imagine that it would be a lovely place to do the 6 hour swim.
As with Brighton Beach/ Coney Island; 60 degrees is a transitional temperature for bodies of water in this region, so if a swimmer is looking for the ideal situation for their 6 hour, they should be prepared to strike at any time, as a weeks delay will likely bring temperatures higher than the maximum allowed.
@ZoeSadler Here is a friend's great write up of her Gozo experience: http://throwmeintheocean.com/tag/gozo/
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
"I never met a shark I didn't like"
I may take you up on that next year, @Leonard_Jansen. I have relatives in/near Reading (I grew up there in the 70's), so accomodations would be easy.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Lake Pleasant is still at 61. It's the largest of the area lakes, so the temperature changes more slowly. You can check here: http://www.pleasantharbor.com/
Saguaro Lake, Bartlett Lake and Canyon Lake are already in the mid 60s, so too late for this Spring. There's no website to get the actual temperature for those lakes, but you can get a pretty good estimate by using the temperature for Tempe Town Lake: http://www.tempe.gov/wx/townlake.aspx. Check the Tempe Town Lake temperature at 7am. In the Spring, subtract one degree to estimate the other lake temperatures. In the Fall, add a degree.
The lakes here are beautiful. They're all surrounded by mountains and pristine desert. The water is clean, but visibility is low. It would be possible to do a 6-hour swim without a kayak, but you could do a much nicer course if you had an escort.
This link has maps for all the lakes: http://watergirl.co/content/open-water-swimming-arizona
www.WaterGirl.co
AZ Open Water Swimming on Facebook
That would be great! As the time gets closer, let me know what you'll need so I can scout things out, etc. As an added bonus, although good pizza is hard to come by in this part of the world, the best pizza in PA is just a few miles from the lake - post swim fuel.
-LBJ
“Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.” - Oscar Wilde
Molly Nance, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Safety from boat traffic. La Jolla Cove and Aquatic Park in SF are the best bets, and you wouldn't even necessarily need kayak support.
A kayak expands your range of options, and then it really comes down to: Where do you want to spend your few days of vacation?
- Presence of other swimmers. La Jolla Cove, Oak Street in Laguna, Goleta Beach & Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara, Avila Beach, Aquatic Park SF.
- Water temperature. La Jolla is likely to be fairly warm in October/November, compared to what you'll experience in the EC. Aquatic Park in SF might be a better option if you're looking for EC water temps.
Molly Nance, Lincoln, Nebraska
I'm not very popular around here; but I've heard that I'm huge in Edinburgh!
Molly Nance, Lincoln, Nebraska
I don't wear a wetsuit; it gives the ocean a sporting chance.
I did mine in Ft Myers, FL in January 2001. The Gulf of Mexico can be chilly in winter. I just did loops on my own with my girlfriend waking the beach taking notes.
San Fran Bay is running about 57F60F right now, There are lots of folks that can help with feeding, documenting and encouraging.
All you need is the day use fee of $10 to swim in the cove with either the SERC or DC. If you want to complicate things and go outside the cove you will need to have a pilot ( NOT from SERC or DC) but you can happily play in the cove for hours. ping me if you have questions or want help.
Lots of folks want to swim around , across, along the bay which is all well and good. BUT>> if you are doing a 6 hour , it is wonderful training for the mind , as well as the body to GET BORED going around in loops ( big or small ) in the environs of Aquatic Park Cove. Also, if you stay in the cove, you are more likely to have a few folks show up and "co-swim" and if things go pear shaped you are right near warm sauna, food and safety. Once you have your 6 hr under your belt , THEN you can play with the locale. It's also cheaper to just stay in the cove.
In the past month , we have had 2 Six hour swims IN the cove ( Aquatic Park SF)as well as last week 2 EIGHT hour swims completed.
Antonio Arguelles came up from Mexico City to do a 6 hr No Channel qualifier and then last weekend a friend Susan Blew as well as Antonio A and Nora T swam in our little pool. Most of it was done in the cove, with some jaunts out around the breakwater and to Ft Mason but temps were well within the required min/max and there was a fair bit of chop/texture as well.
Come on in, the water's fine...
San Fran Aquatic Park and its environs...a splendid locale for a 6hr swim.
You can get a little, or a lot, of everything!
\m/
It is possible to do the Qualification swim 2 years before the English Channel Crossing?
There are nice places to swim in the Long Island Sound in New York. Water temp is agreeable for this in May or late September. If anyone is in the NY area, let me know. I'd be happy to help. I have a guest room and a kayak.
Cawsand/ Kingsand in Cornwall, a short ferry ride from Plymouth. We now have quite a few swimmers doing back to back 6 hour swims here in the summer. There are swim buoys along to Kingsand and a decent stretch the other way, out to former fishing cellars on the green headland to the left. Not only that, but it's exceptionally clear water, beautiful and unspoilt. Water temp usually stays below 16c until late August.
Hi all - I need to do my 6-hour qualifying swim for an English Channel attempt by April 30, and was wondering where I could find 60F or so waters during April, hopefully not too far away from New York? Is anybody aware of a good spot during that month? Many thanks in advance
What about the great lakes? I wouldn't be surprised if they were that range or colder in April, but I'd have to look at some data to know for sure.
Maybe Lake George, depending on what spring is like. Its high for April is 59 degrees. I am sure the New York gang can give you the 411 on Lake George.
Ice should be out of Lake George in April, but I don't think you want to be swimming in it for too long! (Lake George was 59-62 in June last year, for reference.)
Coney Island should hit the right temps on its way up in May, but if you really need to do this by the end of April, you may have to head a bit further south. Charleston, perhaps?
This web site might be useful in trying to find a suitable location - Good luck.
https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/all.html
Yes, Charleston would be great - I thought maybe the water might go a bit above 60 there by April but maybe @j9swim or @rosemarymint can advise. Looked like Maryland would be in the high 50s at that time if you needed to be sure to be under 60. Big thank you @JBirrrd for your offer of help!!!
Okay, final update! @thelittlemerwookie and I were just brainstorming...she had a great idea. If you are going to be in Cape Town in April, maybe you could do a 6 hour swim there, or tack on to your Robben Island? Looks like it should be around the right temperature...
Thank you all for the super helpful responses and links (I loved the link from @Swimmer18). @Jaimie and @thelittlemerwookie - you're right in that I could get it done in Cape Town but my time there is limited and may end up exhausted from the Robben swim already. So doing it in advance in Maryland with @JBirrrd super kind help would be probably best. I love how OWS sometimes turns into a Maths problem :-) Thank you again all!
Water in Charleston is already just about 60, so probably way too warm by April! Honestly, there are springs where it's already 60 along the Jersey Shore back bays. It just depends on how fast things warm up. MD might be good, but might already be too warm. My advice - be flexible about location. ID a few spots. I am in Charleston now, but can definitely help you ID some good qualifying spots in NJ as that's where I swam for >8 years.
Are you doing the Freedom Swim? I am.
I agree that Charleston will be way too warm. Somewhere in the mid-Atlantic is probably your best bet.
Let’s make this happen, @GlobalSwimmer. As noted in our e-mail exchanges, we have 3 options for you across the state. One of them will be within your temp range during your time window. The lakes will be thawed by then and there is always the bay.