Open Water Swimming News & Views

Nat Niddam interviewed Steven Munatones on her March 21st 2023 podcast. They covered a wide ranging field of topics, including the benefits of using KAATSU for peak athletic performance. Niddam covers the latest research and interviews experts across the areas of peptides, epigenetics, actionable biohacking, data-driven health and much more. Listen to the 1 hour 23 minute podcast here . Steven Munatones : A Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards , Oceans Seven , Openwaterpedia , Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association , Daily News of Open Water Swimming , Global Open Water Swimming Conference . He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and Editor of the KAATSU Magazine . Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), In...

Steven Munatones was interviewed by William Ellis on An Open Water Swimmer's Podcast , “Chartable” #1 UK Swimming Podcast, on a wide ranging field of topics from the SCAR Swim in Arizona to recovering with KAATSU .

50-year-old Indian marathon swimmer Srikaanth Viswanathan Bangalore, Karnataka is attempting a 42 km crossing of the Molokai Channel from Molokai to Oahu under the escort of Michael Twigg-Smith with feeder Terri Dietz . With numerous channel crossings and marathon swims under his swim cap, he was conferred with India's highest national adventure award - Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2020 by Hon'ble President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind, for the Water Category in November 2021. He gave a TEDx Manipal Talk on Channeling Your Dreams: Update: Bill Goding reported, " Srikaanth’s swim ended after 12 hours 30 minutes He was approximately halfway. He had jellyfish stings, [facing] strong current, and was fatigued ." Reported by Bill Goding .

Joe Bernini announced the return of the Cruce Golfo Dulce held in Puerto Jiménez, Golfo Dulce on the Pacific Ocean side of Costa Rica. Bernini explains, "After the COVID pandemic, we are finally renewing the Cruce Golfo Dulce this year on September 16th and 17th. The first day, we will host a 32 km race and a 14 km race. On the second day, we will host shorter races of 5 km and 1.5 km. Previously, the Cruce Golfo Dulce was part of the 2015-2016 World Open Water Swimming Series and Costa Rica's Circuito Aguas Abiertas . The courses are amid wild, scenic and incredibly bio-diverse waters that are surrounded by a tropical rainforest. By Steven Munatones .

This winter season has seen a massive increase in rainfall and snow in the Western States of the US. The water - flowing and frozen - will have an impact on the SCAR Swim Challenge , a 4-day stage swim in Arizona along four reservoirs created by the Salt River : Saguaro Lake on Day 1, Canyon Lake on Day 2, Apache Lake on Day 3, and Roosevelt Lake on Day 4. A white blanket of snow has covered the area around this area, east of Phoenix, Arizona. The snow melt will drop the water temperature throughout the race course between April 26th and 29th. This week - six weeks before the SCAR Swim - there was flooding in the Salt River that shut down recreational access [see here and below]. by AZFamily | Arizona News Race visionary and race director Kent Nicholas [shown below with SCAR participant Roger Finch on right] reported, " SCAR 2023 is packed with an incredible lineup of swimmers and crew. Our Arizona winter weather has been very wet which means the desert should be ...

All kinds of incredible feats in the open water performed by people over the last several decades have been frequently reported and further analyzed. Long swims. Cold swims. Rough swims. Swims by disabled swimmers, swimmers who overcome cancer and horrific accidents. All remarkable achievements. But there is no tougher swimmer than J. Andrew Walberer, PhD who recently completed a 42 km crossing of the Molokai Channel under the escort of Michael Twigg-Smith . Twigg-Smith reported, " He started at Papohohako Beach on Molokai Island at 5:58 pm last night and finished this morning at 8:47 am at Alan Davis Beach on Oahu ." Walberer, a father of four and a lifelong pool swimmer, admits, “ I enjoy pursuing personal goals outside of work, particularly planning, training, and pursuing athletic challenges " - which include two night-time swims: a 23.3-mile Chicago Skyline Swim in Lake Michigan and a 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel in 9 hours 43 minutes...

Are you going to swim further than you ever have before? Will you finally register for a marathon swim? Do you plan to swim across the English Channel? Are you entered in a triathlon or want to pioneer a new crossing? Are you serving as an escort kayaker or be part of a channel swimming? Do you plan to challenge yourself and go way out of your comfort zone? Will you try something extraordinarily difficult that you have never done before – but have always dreamed of accomplishing? If so, then KAATSU is a modality that can help you reach your goals. How do extreme athletes – of any age of any ability in any sport – use KAATSU in the preparations? Three Ways • For athletic performance • For injury rehabilitation • For workout recovery However, the use of KAATSU in all these areas is non-intuitive. That is, if you want to run faster, you can use KAATSU while you are walking or sitting. If you want to get stronger, you can use KAATSU for strength building with mu...

Over the course of his career, Spanish swimmer and entrepreneur Pablo Fernández Álvarez has set several different Guinness World Records , among his many different solo open water swims: • In 2019 in Florida, he completed the fastest solo current-assisted (current-positive) 100 km open water swim, called the Century Swim in the Gulf Stream, in 12 hours 21 minutes • In 2020, he swam the longest continuous swim in a counter-current pool conducted in Madrid after swimming 25 hours • In 2021 in the Gulf Stream off the eastern coast of Florida, he swam 100 km in 11 hours 7 minutes and 7 seconds • He continued to swim and swam 200 km in 21 hours 21 minutes and 20 seconds • He continued to swim and ultimately swam 250 km in 26 hours 36 minutes and 18 seconds • In 2022, he completed the longest continuous swim in a counter-current pool in Madrid after swimming 36 hours 0 minutes 19 seconds On April 13th, Fernández will attempt to swim the Farthest Distance in a 24-hour perio in a c...

Adherbal de Oliveira , President of the Leme to Pontal Swimming Association reported on another successful crossing from Leme to Pontal, Brazil. " More than a challenge, the 36 km Travessia do Leme ao Pontal in Brazil is a dream that many swimmers have. It motivates them to work hard for a long period of time and to one day be able to transform those dreams into an unforgettable reality. The swim that started at 1:29 am on March 17th was very special due to the characteristics of the swimmer who, as an amateur, needs to know how to reconcile his training series with family and work routines, as well as for everything that they had experienced during the Travessia do Leme ao Pontal. A challenge of 36 km in the Atlantic Oceans requires a long preparation with the fulfillment of tests with intermediate lengths that demand for many swimmers some years of dedication, focus and discipline. To complete a marathon, it is necessary to leave your comfort zone, leave that routine w...

J. Andrew Walberer, PhD completed a 42 km crossing of the Molokai Channel under the escort of Michael Twigg-Smith . The captain reported, " He started at Papohohako Beach on Molokai Island at 5:58 pm last night and finished this morning at 8:47 am at Alan Davis Beach on Oahu ." Walberer, a father of four and a lifelong pool swimmer, admits, “ I enjoy pursuing personal goals outside of work, particularly planning, training, and pursuing athletic challenges " - which include two night-time swims: a 23.3-mile Chicago Skyline Swim in Lake Michigan and a 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel in 9 hours 43 minutes. His choice of sports matches his own assessment of his physical tools, “ I think I’m designed for distance swimming, full of slow twitch muscles ." Like many others, the pandemic and closing of pools was the catalyst for him to get into marathon swimming. “ I’d been a pool swimmer most of my life. During the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, a grou...

American Gordon Gridley completed a 26-minute Ice Mile in December 2013 in the Great Salt Lake , Utah in 1.19°C water and 6°C air at 1,000 meters altitude in December 2013. A half year later, he conceived of the Frosted Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (or FTC), a term reserved for individuals who complete both the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming and an Ice Mile , demonstrating both endurance in swimming marathon distances and extreme cold water swimming. To date, the following individuals are Frosted Triple Crowners : 1. Craig Lenning (USA) achieved in July 2011 2. Elaine Kornbau Howley (USA) achieved in December 2012 3. Ned Denison (Ireland) achieved in February 2013 4. Gordon Gridley (USA) - FTC achieved in June 2014 5. Ciaran Byrne (Ireland) achieved in July 2014 6. Colleen Blair (Scotland) achieved in February 2015 7. Jaimie Monahan (USA) achieved in March 2015 8. Helen Beveridge (Scotland) achieved in June 2015 9. Sarah Thomas (USA) achieved in...

Orange County  is located in Southern California .  Home of Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and three professional sports teams:  the Los Angeles Angels (of Major League Baseball), Los Angeles Chargers (of the National Football League), Anaheim Ducks (of the National Hockey League), and Orange County SC (of the United Soccer League). Its population is slightly over 3 million people and is largely a massive series of suburbs with mostly single-family homes and apartment buildings mixed in with a plethora of office parks, gas stations, convenience stores, and shopping centers. Ocean swimming and marine sports are major activities in the region that is bordered by the Pacific Ocean with seaside communities like Seal Beach , Huntington Beach , Newport Beach , Corona del Mar , Laguna Beach , Dana Point , and San Clemente . Ocean swimmers can also swim at hundreds of pools of all sizes, including 25 50m pools.  But two more 50m pools will soon be added to the mix when the...

Guila Muir hosted a fascinating talk with accomplished women who have conquered many different open bodies of water around the world, for many years. Muir writes about the March 16th virtual happening, " Meet the women who inspire us all, continuing to conquer the most daunting and treacherous open water feats in the world. Learn about their personal journeys and the physical, mental and emotional training necessary to set world records ." Muir, the founder of Say Yes To Life Swims and organizer of the Women In The Open Water Series , hosted "Older Women Rule the Waves: A Panel Presentation of Astounding Female Open Water Swimmers Over Age Sixty": • U.S. Navy Captain Gina Harden (Ret.) • Pat Gallant-Charette , International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer • Elizabeth Fry , International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer, Class of 2014 • Sally Minty-Gravett, MBE , International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer Clas...