Swim Alcatraz and more…
World-Class Open Water Swimming
with the Bay’s Most Experienced Team
Swim Alcatraz in 2026
$279 Alcatraz Swims • Small Groups • Professionally Guided
Escape from Alcatraz with the SF Bay’s most experienced swim operator. For $279, you get a small group, pace matched Alcatraz swim with professional oversight and a clear safety plan. Our swims are led by USCG Master Captains using our own modern fleet. We have been swimming in San Francisco Bay for over 20 years and guiding Alcatraz swims professionally since 2017. We do this daily. No one runs more Alcatraz swims than we do.
With 90 plus Alcatraz group swims in 2026 and more than 80 planned for 2027, we offer frequent, professionally run Alcatraz, Golden Gate, Bridge to Bridge 10km, and other swims year round. Solo, private, and custom swims are also available. Some swimmers come alone. Others bring friends or mark a milestone. Either way, it is done right.
Let’s Chat About Your Swim
Every swim starts here.
Share your experience and availability, and we will recommend the best swim for you.
Quick form. Fast response. Clear next steps.
Swimming Is Our Only Business
We Don’t Do This on the Side.
This is what we do. Every day.
Epic Swims, Every Day.
Small-group. Pace-matched. Professionally guided
Since 2017, Pacific Open Water Swim Co. has guided thousands of swimmers across Alcatraz and dozens of other Bay and Tahoe courses. Our swims are led by USCG Master Captains using our own vessels, built and operated specifically for open water swimming. We focus on precision, local knowledge, and doing this the right way, every time.
An eight minute look at how we swim San Francisco Bay and Lake Tahoe. Real conditions. Real swims. No staging.
The only thing better is being out there with us. Turn the 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.
Swimmer Reviews
What It’s Like to Swim With Us
Unfiltered feedback from recent swims.
Visiting San Francisco?
Make It a Swim You’ll Never Forget.
If you’re traveling to San Francisco and want to swim Alcatraz, this is the easiest way to do it.
We run more Alcatraz swims than anyone, with over 90 scheduled each year, plus 150 plus swims on other San Francisco Bay routes. Swims run year round, most mornings. If you’re flying in for business or a short stay, we’ll match your travel window with the right Alcatraz or Bay swim based on your pace, experience, and goals.
Whether you’re in town for a few days or just one morning, start with our Arrange a Swim form. It takes a few minutes and helps us recommend the best available Alcatraz swim or alternate course while you’re visiting San Francisco.
All swims are professionally guided by USCG Master Captains using our own boats, with small, pace matched groups. These are real open water swims in San Francisco Bay, not sightseeing tours.
Marathon Swimming
We train marathon swimmers. We pilot marathon swims.
This is not an add on. This is the core of our work.
Our programs are built for serious swimmers, from 2, 4, 6, and 8 plus hour training swims to official 6 hour qualifiers in sub 60°F/15°C water. Training is structured, deliberate, and led by people who have done the swims themselves.
We operate some of San Francisco Bay’s most demanding marathon routes, including Round Trip Angel Island at 10 miles, Four Islands at 14 miles, and the 21-mile Circumnavigation of San Francisco. We have piloted more marathon swims in the Bay than any other operator, including 60+ Round Trip Angel Island completions with a 94%+ success rate.
Since 2017, we have piloted more than 410 marathon swims across San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, and the California coast.
We did not 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
We operate a wide range of San Francisco Bay courses, from flat water training swims and night swims to Prison to Prison, the 21 mile Circumnavigation of San Francisco, offshore routes, and long distance marathon courses. Options are matched to experience, pacing, and conditions.
Whether this is your first open water swim or preparation for a channel crossing, we can place you on the right course.
We are swimmers ourselves and design these courses around real conditions, real pacing, and real outcomes.
There are few city skylines as iconic and beautiful as San Francisco’s.
Bridge to Bridge finish, 10 km from the Golden Gate Bridge to Bay Bridge. . Typical completion time, 90 to 120 minutes. There’s nothing like swimming with a favorable current!
Kara and Nate’s Alcatraz Adventure on YouTube
Watch Kara and Nate complete their first Alcatraz swim. The swim was guided by our team, with a structured training plan and optional angel swimmers supporting two fit but novice open water swimmers.
The video has been viewed more than 4.2 million times and briefly trended in YouTube’s Top 10. The tone is more dramatic than we would normally choose, but it shows what is possible with proper preparation, pacing, and professional support.
A useful watch for anyone considering their first Alcatraz swim.
Thinking About a Swim?
Exploring Options? Let’s Talk.
You don’t need to have everything figured out to start. Whether you’re planning ahead, checking readiness, or narrowing down options, this is where it begins.
Tell us a bit about your experience, pace, and goals. We’ll explain what’s realistic, how the process works, and which swims make sense for you. Straight answers from people who do this every day.
Sunday`s blustery and fun 3.1-mile Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz swim in just under and hour courtesy of a nice, plump flood. 54°F water temps are unusually warm for January but we`ll take it. #openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #swimsf #alcatrazswim #goldengatebridge #sfbayarea
6 friends for a good morning! 53.4°F water temps in flat, calm waters made for a glorious 48-minute, 3.1-mile swim from the Bay Bridge to Alcatraz with the supporting outgoing tide. Honestly, it’s a good life. #openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #sfbayarea #swimalcatraz #alcatrazswim
Another fine day on the bay. Well before the tides hit 7.2 feet, and the storm surge added more, we swam another Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz. This is a 5K or 3 miles swim, assisted by the incoming tide. Super fun swim with our buds from the @southendrowingclub , yet again. Great to have @dustynicol back in town too! The water temperature was about 4° warmer than the 23 year average for this day, primarily due to the storms and warm weather shifting in from the south. Not gonna complain, as it doesn’t get much better than this. SwimAlcatraz.com if you want to get in on the action. We only have 80 Alcatraz escape swims planned this year 🤣 and 50 more Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz swims, give or take. Remember, we swim Alcatraz more than anyone and we’re here for you… Weekend swims have been filling up for months, just saying.
Haters are gonna say it’s fake 🤣, but we’re doing another 5k Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz in about 40 minutes. (Pace is 0:48 per 100 m or 0:43 per 100 yds)… and we’re nowhere near the fastest this flooding current will be in a few hours!
All 2025 Lake Tahoe marathon swims have been ratified by Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association and the certificates of completions have been mailed! Congrats @alex_kroeger and everyone for another amazing season on Lake Tahoe!! 🙌🏼🫶🏼💙
King Tides this week and warmer water than last!
The 162nd Annual Christmas Morning swim for the ‘Peter Pan Cup’ at the Serpentine Swimming Club in London, Hyde Park.
A chilly morning with air temps at 5°C (wind chill 3°C) and water at 6.1°C - the smiles, excitement and simple joy of swimming friends was full on merriment.
A large turnout of cheery onlookers for this traditional swim was fun and warmly familiar. We thought of all the swimmers jumping in around the world and how grateful we are to be a part of each of your lives.
A hearty congratulations to all the finishers and the overall winner, Dave Bill, who is a member of both the @serpentineswimmingclub and @southendrowingclub splitting time between London and San Francisco.
From our families to yours, we wish you a Happy Christmas and New Year.
#peterpancupswim #serpentineswimmingclub #openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #southendrowingclub
Clinics and Coaching
A Full Service Swimming Operation
Our stroke clinics and private coaching are led by full time, certified professionals who are also experienced channel and marathon swimmers. These are not part time instructors or hobbyists. Coaches here have done the swims and understand what preparation actually requires.
Coaching ranges from focused stroke and skills clinics to private sessions, structured marathon training, and longer form education. Programs are practical, individualized, and built around real conditions, not pool only assumptions.
If you are refining technique, building endurance, or preparing for a specific swim, we provide clear guidance, realistic planning, and consistent support.
Real time instruction focused on efficiency, form, and open water specific skills.
Open Water Swimming, Done Right
Built by swimmers. Run every day.
Founded in 2017, Pacific Open Water Swim Co. operates professionally escorted open water swims in San Francisco Bay and Lake Tahoe. We have supported more than 410 marathon swims and over one thousand small group swims, including Alcatraz, Bridge to Bridge, and long distance Bay courses.
All swims are led by USCG licensed Master Captains and supported by trained crew. Operations are designed specifically for open water swimming in high traffic, high consequence environments.
One of our Axopar 28 escort vessels, purpose built and custom configured for open water swimming. Finnish designed hull, modern marine electronics, and low emission engines. Fast, stable, and set up specifically for safe, professional swimmer support in San Francisco Bay.