Out Of the Tank: The Allure of Something New and Wide Open in Swimming

Out Of the Tank: The Allure of Something New and Wide Open in Swimming

By Mark Welte

After swimming competitively for a decade or more in NCAA or Olympic echelons, and after hearing the horn for the final time of their career, many swimmers stay dry for a spell, sometimes lasting a week or month, and for others, it may stretch into years. When the sound of the start and the in-race whistling fades, it can be common and is perfectly normal to ask oneself, What’s next?

Masters swimming is where you’ll find a lot of these former champions, still competing with the full vigor of their dedication, yet perhaps modified as they also pursue careers, families, and other life journeys that all compete for those valuable 24 hours a day. Sprinters may find themselves attracted to distance lengths, while others pursue triathlons, or coaching.

Then there is a small handful who discover open water swimming, trading the heated, year-round tank for untamed, often cold, and current-riddled swim spots that make ‘wild swimming’ an essential part of their lives, as much as chasing the black line once was.

Photo Courtesy: Golda Marcus

Two-time Olympic swimmer (Athens, Beijing) Golda Marcus was troubled after her second Games: “The dream is over, now what do I want to do?” Choosing to coach the sport because it kept her close to something she loved, she was lured to compete in an ocean mile swim in Ft. Lauderdale, and also competed in the Tampa/St. Pete’’s 2.4 mile Hurricane Man swim. After moving to San Francisco, a fellow swimmer convinced her to try the Alcatraz swim—which she won in her age group, and was the third person to step on the beach. She was hooked, but not for the competition.

“From the time my skin touches the water, the world outside disappears and it’s just me and the ocean. It almost feels like I’m one with the water,” she said. “I focus on my sighting, my breath, my heart rate, what my arms are doing/feeling, what my legs are doing/feeling. Am I engaging my core enough? Am I holding my line; am I on my line? Life stops for the time I’m swimming in the ocean; it’s a time where I can truly be myself, be the person I know I was meant to be.”

Georgia Tech star in distance freestyle, 200 butterfly, and 400 IM, Jing Li didn’t get back into the water regularly for seven years after graduation. “I needed to take both a mental and physical break after competing and training intensely for so long.” Work led her to San Diego, and a Masters swimmer introduced her to OWS in the LaJolla cove, where there are dedicated channels buoyed off for swimmers. After moving to San Francisco for work, she started pool swimming again until the pandemic, and found a group to swim with in Pacifica at the Linda Mar beach. “I had fallen in love with open water and wanted to do more, so I signed up for several open water swims, and soon had completed the Bridge-to-Bridge swim, as well as a circumnavigation of Angel Island, and I was hooked.”

Photo Courtesy: Craig Marble

Craig Marble swam four years at Berkeley and after school didn’t really think about competition any more. “No, I was burnt out. I was very happy to transition to swimming for enjoyment and exercise.” Today he swims four days a week in the San Francisco Bay, happily swimming a mile or more each time in water temperatures that annually fluctuate between 48F and 65F. “Open water swimming feeds my soul. I get exercise, cold water immersion, beautiful scenery and immersion in nature, and an amazing group of like minded, perfectly crazy other humans whom I consider part of my extended family!”

Open water swimmers will talk often about the scenery or the water conditions, which in many places can vary not only daily, but even change dramatically throughout a single day: Wind, lightning, sea life, tides and temperature—these factors transform every swim into an event that can reach existential consequences! The sense of calm and the feeling of disappearing into the landscape becomes intoxicating, so much that they’ll engage with a wide variety of what might ordinarily be considered dangerous conditions. Open water swimmers also share a unique sense of community with one another, as they often brave the elements together, watch out for one another, and must trust those they swim with.

Photo Courtesy: Dan Kutler, IG – @dankutlerphotography

Then there are former champions like Dan Kutler, who swam for UCLA and the Israeli Olympic team, and now occasionally photographs swimmers. But to “swim in that cold, sea lion water? Not for me. You guys are crazy.”

Clearly it’s not for everyone.

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Kathie Hewko

1 year ago

Great story. I was hooked on swimming in the SFBay Aquatic Park in 1976. A friend told me there was a women’s only Golden Gate Swim in October. My response was – that water is freezing and there are sharks out there. Ha. It turned out no shark attack of a person in the bay and when I jumped in, it wasn’t so bad. This lead me to continuing to swim GGB swims since then. I now have 94 crossings – the most of anyone ever. I think 60 something is my competition. Ha Having had a few setbacks – like getting Lyme Disease but I’m still on track for my 100th. Probably reach that by age 79. Thanks for your nice article. Feel free to contact me at (707) 481-9309 or kathie@teamhewko.com.

Jack Hallahan

1 year ago

Great story on life after competitive swimming. Inspiring and thoughtfully written. Might actually try open water after reading this!