Swim Alcatraz and more…
World-Class Open Water Swimming
with the Bay’s Most Experienced Team
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!)
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 75 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.
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 75 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.
Bridge-to-Bridge swim 10km in 1:38 (map at the end) - Happy Birthday, Justine! Every year we look forward to Justine’s birthday swim. We block it in our calendar and wait…because we know it will be a fun day on the San Francisco Bay.
And look at her JOWS 2025 - Justine’s Open Water Swim 2025 - cap! Justine, Julie, Kristina, and Danae, fellow swimmers from the Dolphin Club along with James and Travis had stunning conditions along with WHALES.
April 26 is marked in our calendar for the next 25 years…
Love you Justine!! ❤️
#openwaterswim #openwaterswimmer #wildswimming #coldwaterswimming #sfbayarea
One Planet. One Swim.
This Earth Day, we’re celebrating a milestone: 2,200 trees planted through our $3 Carbon Offset Program—and more on the way.
Every swim generates emissions from our escort vessels, but with your help, we’re turning that impact into lasting change. These trees are helping to restore wildfire-affected landscapes in California and will remove thousands of tons of CO₂e over their lifetime.
This year is our busiest yet, and with your support, we’re growing the forests of tomorrow—one swim at a time.
#EarthDay #CarbonOffset #Reforestation #OneTreePlanted #AlcatrazSwim #OpenWaterSwimming #ColdWaterSwimming #SanFranciscoBay #SwimAlcatraz #SwimTheBay #sfbayarea #bayswim #wildswimming #sustainabletravel #marathonswim #environmentalimpact
If you’re building toward longer swims, this is a solid next step after Bridge to Bridge. The Angel Island circumnavigation typically swims about 5 miles and takes around three hours. It’s one of the most scenic swims in the Bay—coastal cliffs, city skyline, Alcatraz, and Golden Gate views all in one loop.
As often seen in our recent swims, gray whales are everywhere right now. We spotted at least eight during this one, including a cow and calf that lingered in our vicinity for 45 minutes. No guarantees, but if you’re out there with us this month, you just might witness it.
Water temp at jump: 56°F / 13°C.
Swim length: ~5 miles
Time: ~3 hours
Want in? Reach out this week to book. SwimSF.com and then use ‘Arrange-A-Swim’ swim.
#SwimAlcatraz #AngelIslandSwim #OpenWaterSwimming #MarathonSwimming #SanFranciscoBay #ColdWaterSwimming #GrayWhales #SwimTheBay #WildSwimming #BaySwimming #BucketListSwim
Congratulations, David McGlynn for completing the challenging 10-mile Round-Trip Angel Island in 05:34:45.
Water temps 54.9-56.7
Dave was going for the bonus round and wanted everything thrown at him - and he got it!
Wind? ✅
Eating chop & swell? ✅
Ship traffic delays? ✅
Bonus Circumnavigation of Angel Island? ✅
6hr English Channel qualifier? ✅
A blazing fast swim out and around Angel Island was met with a 3 ship delayed back-up out of Oakland requiring us to extend the swimming at Angel Island before charging back to San Francisco only to be met by the last of 3 inbound ships. Patience pays off and voila!
But he wasn’t quite done… he needed to stay in 6 hours for his English Channel qualifier… so a little extra time outside of Aquatic Park and job accomplished. Well done!!!
Captain Kelly Gentry skillfully navigated and managed the all-night swim. Wife, Katherine, and sister Devin crewed with Dad - Dennis- on the beach for the start and finish. It’s going to be a smashing family support team the English Channel is getting!
The swim was observed by the Northern California Open Water Swimming Association.
…and we were able to see a whale 🐳 on the way home.
#marathonswimmer #marathonswimming #roundtripangelisland #rtaiswim #channelswimmer #marathonswimtraining #openwaterswimmer #openwaterswim #bayswimming #bayswim #coldwaterswimming #sfbayarea #englishchanneltraining #swimming #swim #nightswim #nightswimming
Of course you backstroke under the Golden Gate Bridge. #ifyouknowyouknow #goldengate #openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #backstroke #swimmimg #swim #bayswim #bayswimming #swimsf
Always have that one friend who loves the swim they`re in. #swimfly #openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #bayswimming #bayswimmer #swimming #swim #swimsf
5hr marathon training swim - 4am start for early morning finish to get on with the day. 12-miles of bliss and stunning views.
Water temps are currently 56-57F with swimmers getting ready to leave for SCAR and in the final push months for the English Channel, Catalina Channel, Lake Tahoe, and Gibraltar.
We have plenty of 6hr qualifying swims and night swims coming up.
Marathon coaching, training plans, crew trainings, marathon training swims nd SF marathon swims available.
#marathonswimming #marathonswimmer #marathonswim #englishchannel #coldwaterswimming #sfbayarea #scarswim #marathonswimtraining #bayswim #bayswimming #swim #swimming #openwaterswimmer #openwaterswim #openwaterswimming
Whales. We saw 3 ourselves and heard the ferries call in about 4 more of them! All within an hour…
This is one of our most enjoyable swims. This 45-minute swim is about 3 miles / 5 km from the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz, we ride the incoming tide, which makes this one of the fastest 5Ks you’ll probably ever swim. We had four swimmers out and this video is shot from our lead escort vessel.
Join us and come swim this amazing Alcatraz swim that you get to enjoy.
#openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #wildswimming #bayswimming #swimalcatraz #bayswim #sfbay
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.