Swimming All Tied Up

CAYMAN ISLANDS. March 15. PAOLO Cerizzi is an adventure swimmer from Italy who previously swam across the Strait of Messina in Sicily, Italy wearing handcuffs (see below).

Cerizzi has also done open water swims butterfly in Italy, but he will use a modified butterfly kick when he attempts to swim the one-mile Flowers Sea Swim in the Cayman Islands this June with handcuffs on both his hands and feet.

Cerizzi brings to mind American fitness guru Jack LaLanne. LaLanne, who passed away at 96 in 2011, entertained and inspired Americans with his television fitness program and various open water exploits over the past 50 years:

* In 1954 at the age of 40, he swam 1.23 miles from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed.
* In 1957 at the age of 43, he swam across the Golden Gate channel while towing a 2500-pound cabin cruiser.
* In 1958 at the age of 44, he paddled 30 miles from Farallon Islands to San Francisco shore in 9.5 hours.
* In 1974 at the age of 60, he once again swam handcuffed and shackled towing a 1000-pound boat from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf.
* In 1976 at the age of 62, he swam one mile in Long Beach Harbor shackled and handcuffed while towing 13 boats with 76 people sitting onboard.
* In 1979 at the age of 65, he towed 65 boats weighed down with 6500 pounds in Lake Ashinoko in Japan while handcuffed and shackled.
* In 1980 at the age of 66, he towed 10 boats with 77 people one mile in North Miami, Florida.
* In 1994 at the age of 80, he swam 1.5 miles handcuffed and shackled while towing 80 boats with 80 people from the Queensway Bay Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary.

Courtesy of Open Water Source

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