Alameda Crown Beach open water swimmers

[NickB]

For a few years I occasionally noticed swimmers doing some open-water training in the northern part of the beach (crab cove between the bathhouse and the entrance to balena bay), usually in light wind conditions.

However in my past four afternoon/evening sessions there, I've noticed some more intense swimmers, launching between the boardsports shack and the bathhouse, heading straight outside for a couple of hundred yards, some as far as the old radar tower, before heading north and back.

More power to them, these people seem very fit and this is a great place for them to do this! However some of them go out even in whitecaping 15+ mph conditions, which makes them fairly hard to spot, especially those wearing dark wetsuits and white swimcaps (!) and who are not swimming freestyle (not raising their arms out and splashing water around, doing breaststrokes or taking a rest), makes them much harder to catch in your peripheral vision.

So although we all ought to be cautious for water obstacles at all times, please show extra-awareness for these bobbing heads I have not seen any close calls yet, but I thought I'd pass the word.

(if some kiters read this, feel free to copy to iKite forums, thanks!).

Nick

[windbetty]

if you see any of the open water swimmers entering water by shack in alameda on a white cap day with windsurfers/kiters in that zone, maybe we can recommend they wear a bright orange swim cap to increase visibility. i will keep an eye out!

[gerritt]

Perhaps Boardsports can affix a short pole with a flag atop the brightly colored swim caps?! Fins and skulls don't mix well and this is a recipe for disaster.

[dsgrntlxmply]

Thank you for pointing this out. I saw a few swim athletes during the time that I was sailing Alameda regularly. One time when I thought I was coming near one with a black cap, it turned out to be a seal. Orange caps would help. I envy the abilities of open water swimmers, especially during a couple of runaway incidents that I had at Alameda.

[tomg]

apparently a popular sport in Maui, i have seen ocean swimmers wearing bright caps and towing an orange buoy with a divers flag on it.

[NickB]