# Has any doper done the Alcatraz swim?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-doper-done-the-alcatraz-swim/737559>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 14, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-doper-done-the-alcatraz-swim/737559 "2015-11-14T15:27:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-doper-done-the-alcatraz-swim/737559/21 "2015-11-24T15:45:42Z")

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> [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](#):
>
> That’s the one I’m doing! Should be interesting.

Good luck! It’s on my bucket list - let me know how it goes!

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**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-doper-done-the-alcatraz-swim/737559/22 "2015-11-24T16:25:38Z")

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> [@madsircool](#):
>
> 8/2016

Doh! 🙂

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**Author:** ![notsoheavyd3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85e7bf/32.png) [@notsoheavyd3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notsoheavyd3)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-doper-done-the-alcatraz-swim/737559/23 "2016-08-24T03:14:33Z")

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Bumping this thread. So Happy Scrappy Hero Pup did you do the swim and if so how was it?

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**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-doper-done-the-alcatraz-swim/737559/24 "2016-08-24T03:51:15Z")

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Yep.

I was a bit worried, but it turned out to be well within my capabilities.

Water was 62, so I went with a 2mm wetsuit and cap. The chop was significant, so I had to breaststroke it more than I wanted to.

The key is to aim dead south at shore, and let the current carry you west for as long as you’re in it. Depending on where you sight, you can spend more or less time in the current, and your ability to use the current to your advantage is limited only by your ability to get out of it in time to hit shore.

In my swim, I was a bit too conservative, which meant that I exited the current too far to the east, and had to swim southwest to the finish point. My total time was 41:00, but with a better line and more experience, I probably had 34:00 in me. Next year I’ll break 35.

The 23-mile bike and the 6-mile run afterward were icing on the cake.

It was a good day overall, I gotta say.

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