WOWSA Ocean Fest Starts Friday, October 4-6; Register Now

wowsa-redondo-beach

The World Open Water Swim Association is offering an exciting weekend of activities in Redondo Beach, California at the Seaside Lagoon.

General Admission tickets include 2 days of activities, amazing speakers, a beer garden, vendors, food and the ultimate kid zone!

The Workshops, Hawaiian Luau Dinner & Awards Show, Races, Goal Setting with Ned Denison & Triple Crown Dinner must be purchased separately. Last but certainly not least, you can purchase a ticket to hike along the race course and all profits will be donated to fight cancer!

Primarily for the ultra swimming community.

  • International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Inductee and founder of Cork Distance Week will lead an in-depth seminar on goal setting, planning and training for open water swimming.

  • A celebratory dinner for those who dreamed big and accomplished the Catalina, English & Swim around Manhattan.

  • 11am – 1PM : Run by SwimLabs

  • 11AM – 1PM : Run by Water World Swim

  • 11AM – 1PM : Run by Tower 26

All race participants are required to pick up their race packets on Saturday, October 5th. Racers also get free General Admission tickets to the festival including speakers, beer garden and a kid zone!

  • Hike the swim course & track the race.

Who is Speaking on Saturday Oct. 5th?

9AM – 11AM: Ultra Swimming

2PM – 4PM: Ocean Living / Ocean Giving

Paul Asmuth, Marathon Swimming The Sport of the Soul

Sarah Turner, Ocean Psychologist

Melissa Blaustein, Beginner to Channel Swimmer

Jamal Hill, Paralympian National Champion & Educator

Steven Munatones, Open Water in the Olympics

Bill Brand, Mayor of Redondo Beach

Ned Denison, Training for a Marathon Swim

Pablo Alvarez, Ocean Protector & Philanthropist

Ram Barkai, Ice Swimming in the Olympics

Shelley Luce, CEO of Heal the Bay

Brian Meharg, Swimming from Scotland to Ireland

Who’s Who – 2019 WOWSA Ocean Fest

5 – 6 October 2019

Seaside Lagoon, Redondo Beach, California

WOWSA Award Winners

  • 2018 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Ion Lazarenco Tiron of the Republic of Moldava
  • 2018 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Aleksandra Bednarek of Poland
  • 2018 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year by Ross Edgley for his 157-day Great British Swim around Great Britain
  • 2018 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Icebears Hintertux by Josef Köberl of Austria
  • 2015 & 2017 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Antonio Argüelles Díaz-Gonzálezof Mexico
  • 2016 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year & 2011 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year by Nejib Belhedi’s 1400K Swim Across Tunisia
  • 2013 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year International Ice Swimming Association & 2015 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year, founded by Ram Barkai of South Africa
  • 2015 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year: World Ice Swimming Championships in Murmansk, Russia by the International Ice Swimming Association

Guinness World Record Honorees

  • Guinness World Record Holder: Longest Duration Ocean Swim (Marathon Swim) by Nejib Belhediof Tunisia
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Circumnavigation Swim Around Barbados by Cameron Bellamy of South Africa
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Stage Swim of Lake Malawi by Martin Hobbs of South Africa
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Circumnavigation Swim Around Pitcairn Island by Alex Kostich of the USA
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Circumnavigation Swim Around Easter Island by Sarah Ferguson of South Africa
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Oldest Person to Swim the Oceans Seven / Oldest Person to Swim the Oceans Seven (Female) by Elizabeth Fry of the USA
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Leme–Pontal Swim by Glauco Luís de Oliveira Rangel of Brazil
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Time to Become an Iron Iceman by Alexandre Fuzeau of France
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Stage Swim Around Kauai (Hawaii) by Terence Bell of Australia
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Swim Crossing of Santa Monica Bay by Amy Appelhans Gubser of the USA
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Oldest Person to Complete the Triple Crown of Lake Monster Swims by Pat Gallant-Charette of the USA
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Ice Mile Swim (Male) by Rostislav Vítek of the Czech Republic
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Ice Mile Swim (Female) by Magda Okurková of the Czech Republic
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Most Swim Crossings of the Catalina Channel by Hank Wise of the USA
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Swim Crossing of the Catalina Channel in Relay by Parks Wesson, Ted Bramble, Hank Wise, Lyle Nalli, Matty Mitchell and Lexie Kelly, with pace swimmer/back-up swimmer Samantha Sears of the USA
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Longest Continuous Swim in a Counter-current Pool by Yuko Matsuzaki of Japan
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Solo 100 km Open Water Swim by Pablo Fernández Álvarez of Spain
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Time to Swim 10 km whilst Wearing Handcuffs / shackled by Pablo Fernández Álvarez of Spain
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Highest Altitude Swim at 5,915 m (19,406.13 feet) by Jean Craven, Herman van der Westhuizen, Chris Marthinusen, Evan Feldman & Milton Brest of S. Africa
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Swim Crossing of the North Minch by Colleen Blair of the UK
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Fastest Crossing of the Canal de Ibiza by Margarita “Tita” Llorens Bagur of Spain
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Oldest Person to Swim the Length of Loch Ness by Pat Gallant-Charette of the USA
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Oldest Ice Mile Swimmer (Female) by Elke Ortloff (Germany)
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Oldest Ice Mile Swimmer (Male) by Aleksandr Zelenetskiy (Russia)
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Longest Distance Ice Swim (Female) by Carmel Collins of Ireland
  • Guinness World Record Holder: Longest Distance Ice Swim (Male) by Hamza Bakircioglu (Turkey)

Open Water Swimming Honorees

  • 2016 and 2020 Olympic 10K Marathon Swimmer and 1500m Olympic finalist Jordan Wilimovsky of the USA
  • 2012 Olympic silver medalist and 2016 and 2020 Olympic 10K Marathon Swimmer Haley Anderson
  • International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame chairperson and Honor Administrator & 2013 International Swimming Hall of Fame Poseidon Award winner Ned Denison of Ireland
  • International Swimming Hall of Fame and International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame dual inductee and former FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee Honorary Secretary Shelley Taylor-Smith of Australia
  • International Swimming Hall of Fame and International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame dual inductee and 2-time Olympic coach Paul Asmuth of the USA
  • International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer and Two-way Catalina Channel record holder John York of the USA
  • International Swimming Hall of Fame Poseidon Award winner and International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer Steven Munatones of the USA
  • Triple Triple swimmer (3 Triple Crowns of Open Water Swimming) Courtney Moates Paulk of the USA
  • Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming Michael Miller of the USA
  • Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming Tom Hecker of the USA
  • International Ice Swimming Association founder & CEO Ram Barkai of South Africa
  • Ice Ironwoman Samantha Whelpton of South Africa
  • FINA World Championship 10 km swimmer Merle Liivand of Estonia
  • Ireland Marathon Swimming Honoree Brian Meharg of Ireland
  • Swim Across America National Director of Events Megan Melgaard of the USA
  • Maui Nui Channel Swim pioneer & FINA World Championship 10 km swimmer & Pan American Games medalist Becca Mann of the USA
  • Barbados Circumnavigation Swim and Barbados-to-St. Lucia pioneer Cameron Bellamy of South Africa
  • WAVE Drowning Detection Systems CEO & Co-founder Mark Caron of the USA
  • FINA UltraMarathon Swim Series swimmer Lexie Kelly of the USA
  • Tower 26 Founder & Coach Gerry Rodrigues of the USA
  • World’s 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Man & 2017 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year nominee Dan Simonelli of the USA

Should I come to the Luau Saturday Evening?

Yes,  join us from 5-8pm for an incredible evening.  This is your chance to meet incredible swimmers of all stripes from 15 different countries. Food provided by Captain Kidds with cash bar for wine, cocktails and beer from Golden Road Brewing. We will honor the WOWSA Man, Woman, Performance & Offering of the year and have a special ceremony for the Guinness World Records Broken this year in the open water.

What’s the deal with safety buoys (tow floats)?

They are becoming increasingly popular to enhance visibility and provide flotation when needed. Many open water races, especially in Europe, require them. We would like to encourage people to use them and will provide them if requested but they are not required this year.

Can I bring my own kayaker for the 5 & 10k?

Yes, but not required.  All kayakers must launch from Seaside Lagoon and are required to participate in the safety briefing at 8AM the morning of the race. Kayakers will depart from the back dock of Seaside Lagoon when the swimmers walk over to the starting line. They must stay outside the buoy line of the race course.

How will I eat or drink on the 10k course?

Cliff Bar is providing a feed station and floating mat at the 5k turnaround point. There will be Clif Bloks, Electrolyte Mix, Water and Clif Bars. You are also welcome to stick a gel in your suit to enjoy during the race.

Is packet pick-up really the day before? 

Yes, and we’ve in built an entire festival of activities around it. However, if you have a conflict, you may have someone else pick up your packet. If absolutely necessary,  there will also be a limited number of staff available to check you in the morning of the race, but you must get there at 7AM. If you aren’t able to check-in in time because there is a line, you will not be able to compete. We highly recommend you come on Saturday for race packet pick-up.

Where should I go on race morning (Sunday)?

Park at the Seaside Lagoon and follow signs to check-in inside the venue. The safety briefing will begin at 8AM. At 8:30, we will walk to the starting line. After the race, we will walk back for awards and lunch.

Additional Questions?

Email: Quinn@openwaterswimming.com

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John "Alan" Walti
John "Alan" Walti
4 years ago

Just a few questions about the 1K race.
1. Are there age brackets for swimmers? If so, what are they?
2. Is there both a wetsuit division and a non-wetsuit division?
3. Where is the 1K race being held?

Finally what is the 200 meter race? Can I, as a 75 year old, slow swimmer participate in the 200 meter or is it just for super speedsters?

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