Swim Alcatraz and more…
World-Class Open Water Swimming
with the Bay’s Most Experienced Team
Swim Alcatraz.
$279 Alcatraz Swims • Small Groups • Professionally Guided
Escape from Alcatraz with the Bay’s most experienced swim company. For $279, you’ll get a pace-matched, safety-first Alcatraz swim—led by USCG Master Captains with our own modern fleet. We’ve been swimming in San Francisco Bay for over 20 years and guiding Alcatraz crossings professionally since 2017. As USCG-licensed captains and open water experts, we’ve helped thousands cross Alcatraz off their bucket list—safely, successfully, and confidently. No one swims Alcatraz more than we do—because it’s what we do daily.
With over 90 group swims in 2025 and over 80 planned for 2026—plus solo, private, and custom events available year-round—this is open water on your terms. Bring your crew, celebrate something big, or take it on solo.
Success is an email away.
Epic Swims, Every Day.
Small-group. Pace-matched. Professionally guided
Since 2017, Pacific Open Water Swim Co. has helped thousands successfully Swim Alcatraz and dozens of other courses—with safety, precision, and unmatched local knowledge. Our USCG Master Captains and purpose-built vessels deliver the highest standard in open water support. We’ve raised the standard in open water swimming—we’re qualified, proven, and unmatched.
This video is an eight-minute look at how we experience San Francisco Bay and Lake Tahoe.
These scenes reflect the conditions, intensity, and raw beauty of open water swimming as we live it—with our clients.
The only thing better is being out there with us. (Volume up!)
Dozens of Great SF Swims Available…
Alcatraz Swims
Experience the thrill of Alcatraz with six unforgettable swim routes—each carefully timed to match the Bay’s shifting currents and calm morning waters. From the iconic Alcatraz Escape to scenic routes with sweeping views of San Francisco, every swim delivers a one-of-a-kind adventures.
Other SF Swims
Enjoy San Francisco Bay’s diverse and breathtaking beauty with our super-fun, challenging courses, each offering a unique adventure. Bridge-to-Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, the challenging Angel Island Circumnavigation, incredible night swims, and many, many more.
Marathon Swimming
Swimmers training for the English Channel, Catalina, Lake Tahoe, and other major goals come to us every season. With proven conditions and expert guidance, we’ll help you prepare. We also regularly pilot the 10-mile Round-Trip Angel Island—one of the Bay’s most demanding swims.
Swimming Is Our Only Business
We Don’t Do This on the Side.
We Do This Every Day.
What Swimmers Are Saying About Us
Why They Trust Us—In Their Own Words
Visiting San Francisco?
Make It a Swim You’ll Never Forget.
Our flexible scheduling and daily swims make it easy to add an Alcatraz Escape or other amazing SF Open Water Swim to your trip.
Here for business, holiday, or just passing through? We’ve got you.
We run more than 90 Alcatraz swims a year—early mornings, weekdays, and across all seasons. If you’re flying in, we’ll work with your travel window to match you to the right swim based on your pace, experience, and goals.
Whether you’re here for a few days or just one morning, start by filling out our Arrange a Swim form. We ask the right questions for travelers—date range, availability, pace, and preferences—so we can quickly recommend the best option.
We swim 24/7-365 with USCG Master Captains, purpose-built boats, and small, pace-matched groups. This isn’t a sightseeing tour—it’s real open water swimming, done right.
Marathon Swimming
We train marathon swimmers—and we swim marathon courses.
From 2, 4, 6, and 8+ hour training swims to official 6-hour qualifiers in sub-60°F water, our marathon training programs are built for serious swimmers. Real training plans, real coaching, and real distance—led by those who’ve done it.
Our courses include some of San Francisco’s most demanding routes: Round-Trip Angel Island (10 miles), Four Islands (14 miles), the 21-mile Circumnavigation of San Francisco, and more. We’ve piloted more marathon swims in the Bay than any other operator, including 49 Round-Trip Angel Island completions with a 96% success rate.
Since 2017, we’ve piloted over 355 marathon swims across San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, and the California coast.
We didn’t add marathon swimming to our business—we built the business for marathon swimming.
More Iconic Swims
Swim the Golden Gate Bridge, Bridge to Bridge, Angel Island, and beyond
Take on San Francisco open water swimming with courses that deliver. We offer dozens of options for every level—from beginner-friendly, flat-water sessions to night swims, the 9-mile Prison to Prison, the 21-mile Circumnavigation of San Francisco, offshore adventures, and some of the toughest marathon swims anywhere.
From your first swim to your next channel, we’ve got you covered.
We’re swimmers ourselves and know what it takes to achieve—at your pace, your success.
There are few city skylines as iconic and beautiful as San Francisco’s—especially from the water.
This image captures a swimmer finishing the 10km Bridge to Bridge swim—scenic, satisfying, and a stepping stone to more demanding courses.
Kara and Nate’s Alcatraz Adventure on YouTube
Watch Kara and Nate take on their first Alcatraz swim—an unforgettable challenge guided by our expert team. A detailed training plan and optional, experienced angel swimmers supported these fit but novice open-water swimmers.
Their effort—captured in a video viewed over 4.1 million times and trending in YouTube’s Top 10—shows what’s possible with the right preparation and support, even if the tone is a little more dramatic than we’d probably choose.
A must-watch for anyone curious about swimming Alcatraz for the first time.
Thinking About a Swim?
Exploring Options? Let’s Talk.
You don’t need to be fully committed to start the conversation. Whether you’re planning months ahead, wondering if you’re ready, or just want to understand the options—we’re happy to help.
Tell us a little about yourself and your goals, and we’ll walk you through what’s possible, how it works, or what we can do. No pressure, no sales pitch—just straightforward guidance from people who do this every day.
Friday’s Bridge-to-Bridge - a fast 10km swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge, passing Alcatraz and city views.
Michelle and Ada finished this swim in 1:32 - a quick “ride the tide” with smiles all the way. It was our 25th Bridge-to-Bridge swim THIS YEAR.
We have 9 more scheduled Bridge-to-Bridge swims in September and October - join us for a small or larger group swim on this fun, fast, and showstopper course.
#bridgetobridgeswim #sfbayarea #openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #coldwaterswim #bayswimmer #bayswim #swimsf
Raghu stopped in San Francisco on his way to the Catalina Channel for a relay. Like many Catalina and Molokai (Kaiwi) swimmers, he added an Alcatraz swim to his layover.
Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz is one of the best. Five kilometers straight down the central Bay, usually 30 to 40 minutes from bridge to Rock. That works out to about a 45-second pace per 100 yards. Yes, we swim with the current.
We swim Alcatraz more than anyone, year-round. Wetsuits, if you need one, can be rented locally.
Learn more or book your Alcatraz swim at swimalcatraz.com or swimSF.com.
#AlcatrazSwim #OpenWaterSwimming #ColdWaterSwimming #SanFranciscoBay #SwimAlcatraz #SwimTheBay #SanFrancisco #sfbayarea #wildswimming #bayswimming #bayswim #bucketlist
Congratulations, Catheryne DiPrete for her successful completion of the 10-mile Round-Trip Angel Island marathon swim on August 30 in a time of 06:23:39 (pending ratification).
Catheryne is a life-long swimmer and well-known in the San Francisco Bay Area Masters scene being an active and competitive swimmer with TAM Masters in Marin under legendary head coach, Marie McSweeney. She has a number of marathon swims on her CV including the English Channel.
Starting in the dark, Catheryne had calm conditions and water temps ~64F and RTAI served up traffic as always requiring deviations that she handled with ease.
Crewed by husband Peter and friend Lori, the last 2 hours delivered bumpy water but a successful day nonetheless. Her swim was observed by Casey Riel under the Northern California Open Water Swimming Association.
#sfbayarea #TAMMasters #marathonswimmer #marathonswim #marathonswimming #openwaterswimmer #openwaterswim #openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #coldwaterswim #rtaiswim #roundtripangelisland
Irishman John-Charles Curley flew to San Francisco to take on one of the hardest swims anywhere: Round-Trip Angel Island, 10 miles (16.1 km) of cold water, relentless cross currents, and heavy vessel traffic. He stayed strong from start to finish, completing the course in 6:36:43, pending ratification by the Northern California Open Water Swimming Association.
John was expertly crewed by Clare O’Connor who has been on many of his swims with additional support from Ger Kennedy. A hardworking swimmer and crew they are!
Since we began piloting RTAI in 2017, we’ve watched the swim grow in popularity.
We’ve now piloted swimmers through it successfully 52 times.
If you’re looking for a challenge that measures both grit and skill, this is it. It also requires significant logistical coordination within one of the busiest west coast ports, and careful current planning.
The currents required for this swim only occur a handful of days per month at most, so get in touch early for the best slots.
We’re now planning RTAI swims through 2026, and many swimmers use this as a Channel qualifier. SwimSF.com #marathonswim #rtai #marathonswimmer #marathonswimming #coldwaterswimming #openwaterswimmer #openwaterswimming #sfbayarea #bayswimming #bayswim #roundtripangelisland
John Cardiel just swam Alcatraz.
Another step in a long recovery that started with a spinal cord injury in 2003. He’s been training with one of our Alcatraz swim training plans, putting in the work, and today he made the escape. Unassisted.
Strong swim, John. Congratulations.
Can’t wait for the next one!
#allhailcardiel #thrasher #soty #antihero #AlcatrazSwim #OpenWaterSwimming #ColdWaterSwimming #SanFranciscoBay #SwimAlcatraz #SwimTheBay #SanFrancisco #sfbayarea #wildswimming #bayswimming #bayswim #bucketlist #alcatrazescape
We swim daily and swim Alcatraz more than anyone. We currently have the warmest water of the year! (65°F/17.5°C) +/-
SF summer has arrived!! Alcatraz swims through November still available and more than 90 Alcatraz Swimd available in 2026!
www.SwimAlcatraz.com
Kudos to Christine who completed a 7hr training swim as her last long swim in preparation for her English Channel attempt next month.
Christine is from Florida and like many swimmers, came to San Francisco for our cooler water temperatures to get training and fine-tuning for her upcoming English Channel crossing. The Bay delivered with a variety of conditions.
Well done, Christine! We’ll be cheering for you!
And many thanks to Craig, aka @the.salty.swimmer - always happy to support your swimmers in their training and attempts.
#marathonswimmer #marathonswimtraining #englishchannel #sfbayarea #openwaterswimmer #openwaterswimming #bayswimming
Congratulations, Anna Newman who not only completed the 10.6-mile Vikingsholm swim in 04:35:34 on Thursday, but completed the Lake Tahoe Triple Crown as defined and awarded by the Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association.
She completed the 21.3-mile Length the week before in 11:03:48 and holds the women’s fastest 12-mile True Width at 04:48:38 set back in 2018.
Anna has the third fastest combined time (20:28:00 ) for the three swims and is the second fastest woman after Tay Thomas.
Well done, Anna!
TahoeOpenWater.org
SwimTahoe.com
#lakeswimming #swimtahoe #laketahoe #marathonswimming #marathonswimmer
#marathonswim #swimming #openwaterswim #openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming
Clinics and Coaching
We’re a Full-Service Swimming Company
Our stroke clinics and private coaching are led by certified, full-time professionals—dedicated coaches who are also successful channel and marathon swimmers. These aren’t part-time instructors or hobbyists. They’ve done the work and know how to guide others through it.
Whether you’re refining technique, training for a marathon swim, or preparing for your next big goal, we provide personalized support every step of the way. With custom training plans, structured programs, and focused webinars, we give you the tools to swim smarter, stronger, and farther.
We’re serious about swimming—and fully invested in helping you succeed.
One of our purpose-built Axopar 28 escort vessels—Finnish-designed, custom-modified for open water swimming, and equipped with low-emission engines and advanced marine electronics. Fast, stable, and fully configured for safe, serious support in San Francisco Bay.
Open Water Swimming, Done Right
Built by Swimmers. Trusted by Thousands.
Founded in 2017, Pacific Open Water Swim Co. delivers professionally escorted open water swims in San Francisco Bay and Lake Tahoe. With over 355 marathon swims and 900+ small-group outings supported to date, we operate more Alcatraz, Bridge-to-Bridge, and marathon swims each year than any other organization.
Every swim is led by USCG-licensed Master Captains, supported by trained crew, and the company is operated by experienced open water swimmers. Unlike others, we don’t rely on rented fishing boats, water taxis, dinner cruise ships, or volunteer kayakers—setups that fall short on safety, oversight, and professionalism. Our operations are built for serious open water swimming, with every detail designed for success—for swimmers, by swimmers.