Earlier this week, Anne Cleveland announced her Double-Double Channel Swim (i.e., two-way crossing of both the English Channel and Catalina Channel). But she is also selfless in always freeing up her busy schedule as a coach and motivational speaker to help other channel swimmers realize their dreams.
What a better place for open water swimming than Oceania. 
When we observe the start and first initial turns of a mass open water swim, we think of the 3C's: a churning cacophony of competition.
Or perhaps it is a captivating clamor of camaraderie?
One of the Ocean's Seven channels is the Kaiwi Channel, a 26-mile (42K) challenging swim from Molokai to Oahu in Hawaii. There are nine main channels in the Hawaiian Islands - eight of which have been successfully crossed.
The International Paralympic Committee conducted its first 5K open water world championship swim in Mar de Plata, Argentina in 2003. The second International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships to have a 5K race was in Durban, South Africa in 2006. 
Chris Foster is not a swimmer. In fact, he is far from it. Count him almost 7-8 minutes down in the mile swim of the Olympic distance triathlon a few years ago. 
Racing at the 2010 Viña del Mar ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup in Chile last Sunday, the first ITU race of the year, Chris scouted the ocean terrain, something that any bonafide open water swimmer and triathlete should be doing pre-race. He found that the beach start had a hole (more like a moat) right past the waterline; four feet deep and probably three feet wide, running the whole length of the beach. 
"I walked in and out of the water trying to visualize where it was, and watched others fall almost neck-deep in water after running in knee-deep water at the edge. 
Coaches note: Chris executed from his training. He scouted the ocean flooring, checked the waves, set-up his improvised strategy and executed it flawlessly. He dolphined several times for further gain, then swam with relaxation. All the specific pool and open water training we have done allowed Chris to build his open water confidence. 
Phil White and 11 passionate open water swimming enthusiasts recently established the Northeast Kingdom Open Water Swimming Association (NEKOWSA) to promote and coordinate swims in the legendary lakes of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a wonderfully beautiful part of the eastern United States.
The Association recently announced a 4-mile swim to be held in Lake Willoughby, a beautiful glacier lake, on August 21st to add to the 6-mile Son of a Swim on June 26th in Lake Memphremagog, the 1-, 3- and 10-mile Kingdom Swims on July 24th in Lake Memphremagog and the Even Up Aquaman Triathlon (3.5-mile swim + 35-mile bike + 13.1-mile run) in Lake Salem or Lake Seymour on August 7th. 
Karen Rogers, whose 10 hour 50 minute 21.5-mile crossing of Lake Tahoe in California last August was nominated as one of the Great Open Water Swims of 2009, started off the new year with another first: a 14-mile cold-water swim from Richmond Bridge to Point Bonita in the northern San Francisco Bay.
Similar to last year when 13 Olympians competed in the world's largest open water race, the Midmar Mile, Olympic medalists are starting to announce their participation in the South Africa classic.
Seven-time world professional marathon swimming champion and channel swimmer Shelley Taylor-Smith is splitting her time and talents as both a motivational coach and an open water coach.
Professional marathon swimmer Shelley Clark (shown on left) who has competed at numerous world championships, World Cup and Grand Prix events, Olympic 10K Marathon Swimmer and the 2009 5K world champion Melissa Gorman, the extremely well-traveled Australian masters swimmer Graham Travers and the energetic Pacific Swims race organizer, with a deep well of South Pacific hospitality, Paul McCoy all explain about open water swimming here and what it means to them via a visually dynamic photo gallery presentation provided by the Sydney Morning Herald.
With an estimated 20,000 spectators packing the beach in an electrified atmosphere, 18-year-old Sam Sheppard out-swam and out-ran an accomplished field to claim his first overall victory among the over 4,300 swimmers in the highly competitive 1.2K Lorne Pier to Pub swim in Lorne, Australia.
Sam also greatly enjoyed himself, "I really wanted to win it because I've come so close before and I hadn't done it the last couple of years."
Anne Cleveland announced her unprecedented "double-double" attempt this August. 
Anne first entered the elite world of endurance swimming in 1999 at the advanced age of 43, after initially quitting the sport as an accomplished age-group swimmer. 
To date, there have been only six people who have successfully completed a double-crossing of the Catalina Channel: Greta Andersen in 26:53 in 1958, Penny Dean in 20:03 in 1977, Cindy Cleveland in 24:30 in 1977, Dan Slosberg in 19:32 in 1978, John York in 1978 in 16:42, Tina Neill in 22:02 in 2008. 
Catalina Channel record holder Todd Robinson of San Diego (8:05 from Catalina-to-mainland) was the subject of a inspirational article in the winter issue of Competitor Magazine, a publication normally the exclusive domain of triathletes, cyclists and runners.
FINA's annual calendar has beautiful photography showcasing all five of its aquatic disciplines: open water swimming, pool swimming, water polo, diving and synchronized swimming.
RCP Tiburon Mile champion Kane Radford and top 10K swimmer Alannah Jury will be the headliners at next week's inaugural Epic Swim Festival in New Zealand held in the majestic Lake Taupo.
Kane will fast some very tough teenagers in George O'Brien and Josh Richardson while Alannah will be matched against Jamie-Leigh Austin and Caitlin Zillman.
The 25K St. Vincent's SWIM Across the Sound Marathon announced its August 7th date of its 23rd annual race - as well as a new intriguing University Challenge. 
The abilities, endurance and speed of the world's fastest marathon swimming women are impressive. The two close-up videos below from the 2009 25K world championship race and the 10K world championship race in Rome clearly demonstrate why these women are the best in the world.
In 14°C (57°F) water under intermittent rain in Puerto Varas y Santiago, Chile, the four-person relay with Eva Fabian just out-touched the relay led by Poliana Okimoto to kick-off the Desafio Internacional Puerto Varas de Aguas Abiertas (Puerto Vara International Open Water Swimming Challenge) this Saturday morning. 
Later, Eva competed in the 2K race with the men and women competing together. Eva and the first place male tied for first in 25 minutes and 23 seconds. Eva's father and coach reported, "It was extremely cold and some swimmers used wetsuits. The sportsmanship shown by all the competitors was at the highest level. The athletes, coaches and spectators are all supportive of one another. It was very exciting to be a part of this competition. Tomorrow is the 5K."
If the world of open water swimming has a man behind the scenes, certainly Chris Guesdon is that man who has been selflessly and passionately devoted to the sport for over 44 years.
Internationally, there are probably few individuals who have raked up as many airmiles as Chris has on behalf of the sport.
The Cayman Islands Government wrote a nice article about Andrew Smilley's Open Water Swim of 2009 on its website here. 
"His dedication is phenomenal," said his coach Penny McDowall (shown on left). "We have always been very proud of him – now the world knows why." 
Down in Puerto Varas y Santiago, FINA World Cup champion Poliana Okimoto and American Eva Fabian have been trying to stay warm before a trio of races in Chile. 
"Today is the first race in the lake. It is 58°F (14.4°C). Eva will compete in a relay and hoping to compete in the 2K race after. She swam in the lake today and managed to relax, but did agree it was cold. Eva and Poliana gave a swim clinic at the Hacienda Santa Martina Nature Club and Golf and then met with some local swimmers in Puerto Varas."
There is perhaps no female with greater upside in the elite open water swimming world than Olympic 10K marathon swimmer and 5K world championship medalist Chloe Sutton.
She trains extremely hard at one of the traditional pool swimming powerhouses in America, the Mission Viejo Nadadores, where her coach, Hall of Famer Bill Rose pushes her beyond exhaustion - daily competing against fast young men - with the ultimate goal of bringing home medals from both the pool and open water. 
In 2009, Chloe won the 2009 USA Swimming World Championship Trials in the 800-meter freestyle and has been on a roll ever since on the American pool scene, winning numerous big meets across the country. She recently announced her plans to turn professional and make a living out of her passion and physical talents. 
This lean, focused 21-year-old professional is an emerging - and established - open water swimming superstar.
Known as a workhorse in the pool and an independent strategist on every open water course, Trent is nicknamed Trento and was born in Sunnybank, Australia. His personal best time in the 1500-meter freestyle is 15:12 (where he placed third in the 2008 Australian Olympic Trials) and is coached by John Rodgers. 
Prior to competing in the 5K, 10K and 25K races at the 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome - the only competitor to tackle such a grueling schedule - he was interviewed by 10Kswimmer:
Multi-world champion Thomas Lurz was interviewed by Swimming World Magazine about the intense two-week long-distance training camp, called Battle Training, that he and other world-class pool and open water swimming superstars (including Trent Grimsey and Chad Ho) are doing in Potsdam, Germany until January 17th.
English Channel record holder Petar Stoychev has committed to participating in the Ocean Racing World Championship Series, the Nelson Mandela Bay Bell Buoy Challenge and the King of Nelson Mandela Bay extravaganza in South Africa.
Petar will compete in the 2K Ocean Racing Series World Championships against South African swimmers, like world championship medalist Chad Ho. The next day, he will participate in the 7K Nelson Mandela Bay Bell Buoy Challenge and the third and final day, he will face other top swimmers in the 750-meter King of Nelson Mandela Bay Challenge.
The highly successful King of the Sea Challenge (Rei Do Mar Desafio in Portuguese) is expanding its franchise to Lisbon, Portugal in a new pro invitational race called the King of the Seas Europe.
The King of the Seas Europe will include an amateur/masters race as well as the exciting pro race whose winner will become the European representative for the King of the Sea World Challenge (Rei Do Mar Desafio) in Rio de Janeiro. 
Captain Tim Johnson, author of the History of Open-Water Marathon Swimming explains why it feel warmer in the shallow water, "Because of the shallow depth, the sun's rays penetrate the water and heat up the sand below so you have the surface water being heated by reflection and by accumulated heat from below." 
Former Waikiki Roughwater Swim champion and long-time USA Swimming national open water team swimmer John Flanagan III has taken his endurance and swimming talents to the world of triathlons. After being on the 1997 Auburn NCAA championship team and finishing fourth in the 2001 World Championship 10K, the outwardly mellow, but intensely competitive national team swimmer retired from swimming until he got back in shape in 2008 for the USA Swimming Olympic 10K Marathon Swim trials.
But after missing qualifying for the Olympics despite being in the lead pack for most of the race, John got on with his life.
With a richly deserved reputation as the fastest swimmer in the pro triathlon world, John is also finding the time to steadily develop a solid reputation on land while he balances the demands of work, family life and training at the elite level. 
Considered one of the finest gentlemen in open water swimming with obviously great time management skills and a strong underlying competitive zeal, John will undoubtedly realize his potential in his new endurance challenges.
FINA announced a few revised changes to its combined 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup and Open Water Swimming Grand Prix calendar with the cancellation of the Copenhagen 10K World Cup and date change for the Sabac Grand Prix races..jpg)
Gerry Rodrigues, founder of the Tower 26 Ocean and Open Water Swim Club will be interviewed on Simon Gowen Triathlon Show today. His off-season advice to triathletes and open water swimmers can be heard live at 11:30 am over the Internet on LA Talk Radio, known for its irreverent, entertaining and cool conversations and topics.
Peak 100 is conducting an online poll of the Toughest 100 Races in the World. 
We heard of some Australian open water swims that have banned wetsuits, technical swimsuits and anything that provides buoyancy or warmth with the goal of leveling the playing field. But, with so many enthusiasts and venues, the sport still provides ample opportunities for everyone, ranging from seriously-minded hardy traditionalists who brave sub-15°C (60°F) waters to wetsuit-optional swims from Alaska to ... Australia.
Photo on left shows Daniel Kowalski celebrating his 2007 1.2K Lorne Pier to Pub win in Australia (happening this weekend), a swim so popular that a random drawing is used to select who is luckiest to participate.
SwimTrek offers an excellent pre-season marathon swimming training camp in Gozo in Malta between April 24th - 29th. 
Gozo offers an excellent training environment with some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean Sea. Working out and talking open water swimming with other endurance swimmers, all of whom have similar goals, the camaderie between the athletes always leads to shared knowledge, entertaining story-telling, greater motivation to, occasionally, even more challenging goals. 
Manaia, a canine competitor in the 1980 Waikiki Roughwater Swim, reportedly finished in 90 minutes, faster than about 400 of the 922 official finishers in the 1980 2.4-mile ocean race across Waikiki Beach. Unfortunately, the Labrador-Irish setter dog's photo however has been lost over the years.
If your dog is not acclimated to cold water, Ruff Wear (shown above) is one alternative. 
After 8 months of selection challenges including thorough medical check-ups, pool swimming qualification swims and open water swimming selection trials in freezing cold lakes and the open sea, the Bristol English Channel Swim Team (BEST) named its final team. These young aquatic adventurers come from 8 different clubs from the South West of England and include acknowledged future stars to relative newcomers.
Research director Dr. Flora Bird is testing the BEST athletes to see how they adapt to cold water over time. 
As a baseline, Dr. Bird (shown on left) tested the swimmers at a specialist research facility where they swam without wetsuits in a tank of cold water under laboratory conditions while their respiration, metabolic rate and other parameters were monitored. With very little scientific work done on hypothermia in children, it is hoped that the research will help keep children safe as they progress from pool to the open water.
The team is surrounded by professional head coach Penny Porter (shown below), a former British record holder and Great Britain swim team physiotherapist, assistant coach Chris Eynon (shown below), winner of the British Long Distance Swimming Association Championships, English Channel relay and solo swimmer, team manager Sarah Johnson (shown on left), a former BBC TV director and producer, organizer of filming expeditions, team doctor Dr. Patrick Morgan (shown below), National Honorary Medical Advisor for the Great Britain Surf Lifesaving Association, and Dr. Flora Bird.
Andrew Smilley was obviously very pleased, but typically humble and easy-going when he learned that so many people had voted for his swim at the RCP Tiburon Mile as the Greatest Open Water Swim of 2009.
Dennis Brown of Monmouth Beach, New Jersey was issued two United States patents for inflatable swimmers's safety belts. 
Commander Vicki Fischbeck is one tough lady. 
She was part of an all-female relay team that swam across the English Channel. As she explains, "When someone asked me, 'Why on earth did you want to swim the English Channel?', my response to them was, 'I didn't know exactly why I wanted to swim the English Channel, until I did. Now I know why I swam the English Channel, it's an experience like no other."
At the 1-mile St. Croix Dolphins Sea Swim in mid-January, the athletes start by waiting for the sound of a conch shell and then jumping nearly 7 meters off the Frederiksted Pier into the warm waters of St. Croix. 
Anna Wardley truly gets around, having lived and worked in London, New York, Buenos Aires, Australia and Hong Kong.
"I think the moment it finally sank in was when I was awarded the Van Audenaerde Trophy for the Greatest Feat of Endurance by the Channel Swimming Association that has been awarded to some of the greatest endurance swimmers in the world."
Paul McCoy, the visionary engine behind Pacific Swims originally from South Yorkshire, England, randomly hands out some of the most valuable prizes in the open water swimming world: all-expenses-paid trips to Fiji.
In 2009, by partnering with his airline and hotel sponsors in coordination with race directors from Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand, Paul randomly selected winners from the UK (1 to Fiji), America (1 to Fiji), Australia (8 to Vanuatu and 6 to Fiji) and New Zealand (6 to Vanuatu and 2 to Fiji).
"At our events in Pacific Swims, we get a lot of people who've taken up the challenge of ocean or open water swimming fairly recently and it's great to see the enthusiasm and camaraderie all around at our event swim clinics. We also try to showcase the unique culture, art, dance and music of Vanuatu and Fiji as part of the event experience." 
Lake and river swims throughout Argentina are very popular and include three FINA pro marathon swims in 2010: the 15K Maraton Acuatico Internacional Ciudad Rosario, the 57K Maraton Acuatica Internactional Rio Coronda and the 88K Hernandarias-Parana Maraton Acuatico. The pros always entertain the crowds with exciting finishes in shallow water - check out the Rosario race below.
The world's foremost marathon swimming historian, Captain Tim Johnson, provided interesting historical background on the emergence of open water swimming on the national level in America.
But the history of national open water swimming championships in the United States goes back much further than 1925 according to Captain Johnson. "They were constantly racing and calling them championships or All-American something beginning in the 1880's (described in detail in the History of Open-Water Marathon Swimming). The New York Athletic Club hosted events either in the Harlem River starting in the 1880's or at Travers Island from floating docks."
Swimming World Magazine made its annual open water swimming forecasts for 2010 in its January issue.
The 6.5K International Bosphorus Swim (Boğazıçi) from Asia to Europe will hold its 22nd race in July 2010. Swimmers cross the Bosphorus (or Bosporus, Βόσπορος in Greek, İstanbul Boğazı in Turkish),from the north to the south. With the course so wide, the swimmer obviously decide to swim off in different directions. 
The 2010 Oceania 5K and 10K Swimming Championships will be held in Faleausiu on the island of Upolu, a large volcano in Samoa in June. Less than a year after the population of Upolu was victimized by a massive 8.0 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami in September 2009, we are very happy to see Samoa be able to host an international athletic competition.
Ron Collins, founder of the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim commented on our previous story on the Greatest Fears of Open Water Swimming.
The Tsugaru Channel, the Cook Strait, swims in the Great Lakes of North America, the North (Irish) Channel, the Molokai Channel and other channels in the Hawaiian Islands follow the English Channel rules - whether the swimmers have to navigate around rocks, jetties, cliffs and/or large surf.
Swimming World Magazine wrote about the key movers and shakers within the sport of swimming in the USA. 
Among an extraordinarily impressive field of outstanding open water swimming heroes, the San Francisco Bay swim of Andrew Smilley from the Cayman Islands just barely out-voted the world record setting relay team of Camlough, Ireland as the 2009 Greatest Open Water Swim of the Year. 
The Camlough Team absolutely smashed the existing record and set a new Guinness World Record for the Longest Continuous Open Water Relay Swim.
On behalf of the Camlough Team, Maria Murphy graciously commented, "Camlough swim team is delighted to have been considered for this prestigious award."
Among an extraordinarily impressive field of outstanding open water swimming heroes, Bulgaria's Petar Stoychev was voted as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year out of 18,024 votes cast by fans around the globe. Petar graciously said, "Thank you very much for the wonderful news. I am very happy with this award."
"During the year I was able to win 5 out of 8 FINA Grand Prix marathons (57K Santa Fe, 15K Sumidero, 30K Ohrid, 32K Roberval and 34K Magog) to rank first in the FINA rankings for a record ninth consecutive year. I also finished fourth in the FINA 10K World Cup rankings and was the first Bulgarian to be inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. My achievements secured my place among the Ten Best Bulgarian Athletes of the Year (I was ranked sixth). Finally, I was elected in the FINA Athletes Commission, where I hope to be able to contribute for the development of marathon swimming. Thank you again for the great honor."
Petar, Bulgaria’s Olympic flag bearer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, won his ninth consecutive FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix, an unprecedented string of professional marathon swimming dominance that is longer than the streaks held by the legendary pro stars like John Kinsella, Paul Asmuth and Shelley Taylor-Smith. 
Among an extraordinarily impressive field of outstanding open water swimming heroines, Poliana Okimoto was voted as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year out of 21,275 votes cast by fans around the globe. 
"I'm very happy to win this voting. This year was very special for me. I enjoyed many new experiences that made me grow and become a better person and a better swimmer. I hope to be here again in the voting in 2010, with more goods results."
In an online poll conducted by The Daily News of Open Water Swimming, 208 experienced swimmers from around the world expressed their greatest fears of the open water.
"I wore this bikini suit because of the jellyfish that were everywhere [in Perth's Swan River]. I wanted to be able to let them out [of my suit]…or get them out with easy access and not disturb my mental focus and mindset which they are renowned for doing," recalled Shelley with a smile. 
Thank you very much for visiting The Daily News of Open Water Swimming. We always attempt to bring an objective, interesting, positive global perspective to the world of open water swimming. During 2009, we posted nearly 1,200 news stories and traveled 149,949 airmiles to cover open water swimming events in 82 countries, from America to Japan, Mexico to Italy and Brazil to Greece. 
The world's largest open water mass participation swim is held in Taiwan - the 3.3K Sun Moon Lake International Swim Carnival - but Taiwan is also home to other large mass participation swims where communal enjoyment in tropical waters and post-swim fraternization with like-minded athletes - not competition - are the primary purposes of the event.
The 3K Kenting Sea Swim is held in April in the beautifully tropical Kenting National Park at the southernmost part of Taiwan. The swim is a 1.5K straight out to the Pacific Ocean and back.
Larry Scroggins of the Dolphin Club of San Francisco informed us of an educational study conducted by Thomas J. Nuckton MD, David M. Claman MD, Daniel Goldreich PhD, Frederick C. Wendt MD and John G. Nuckton MD published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine (Volume 18, Issue 6, October 2000, Pages 703-707) entitled Hypothermia and afterdrop following open water swimming: The Alcatraz/San Francisco Swim Study.
The first China to Taiwan swim was held earlier this year from Xiamen in the Fujian Province in China to Shuangkou Village in Kinmen County in Taiwan.
Event organizer Lee Chu-feng said of the first Xiamen-Kinmen Swim, "The fact that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are able to hold such an event after six decades of hostility signifies that Taiwan and the mainland are striding towards peace. 
In a concrete outcome of the event planning, the Kinmen County Government removed the spear-like anti-landing barricades and cleared the landmines that had been left over from the militaristic past at Shuangkou Beach before the event started. 
22-year-old Chinese swimmer Li Yenhan was the first to complete the 7.1K mass participation swim in 1:10. "It was not difficult. There were some rough currents somewhere near Binlan islet, but after that, it was smooth." Swimmers between the ages of 15 and 61 completed the swim.
The world of open water swimming celebrated an overwhelming number of great swims in 2009. There were fierce battles among pros and incredible feats of endurance by solo swimmers. 
Of the World's Top 100 Open Water Swims, the Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival easily stands out for its size and popularity.
The 3.3K Sun Moon Lake Swim crosses one side of Sun Moon Lake to the other side, where everyone must swim between the course markings.
The Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival is not a timed race, but rather a mass participation cross-lake swim with an incredible 25,888 registered swimmers in 2009. 
The event is well-organized fun swim where many people travel and camp overnight, sleeping in their vehicles lakeside near the start. With so many thousands of participants, the race committee organizes some special features. For example, there is a ferry to transport the swimmers from the finish back to the start. With over 25,000 swimmers at the start, orderliness and timeliness are critical. 
Swimmers know the dangers of swimming near the rocks while in the open water. Bruises, bumps and scraps are generally things for open water swimmers to avoid. But, swimming near these rocks is TOTALLY cool.
The Giant's Causeway (Clochán na bhFómharach) is an area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption, in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. A World Heritage Site and a National Nature Reserve, the Giant's Causeway is one of the greatest natural wonders in the United Kingdom. 
The Externsteine is a distinctive rock formation located in the Teutoburger Wald region of northwestern Germany. 
Preikestolen or Prekestolen, is also known as Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock, and by the old local name Hyvlatonnå.
The Twelve Apostles are located in Port Campbell National Park, nestled among Victoria, Australia's most spectacular coastline scenery.
Nanya Rock are fantastic rock formations and sea-eroded coral shore in Taiwan. The coastline epitomizes the beauty of weathering and wave action on stone. 
Percé Rock is one of the largest natural arches in the world. It rises sheer from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Quebec near the village of Percé, Canada. 
Koh Tapu is one of the most renowned islands in Thailand, located at Phang Nga Bay in Phuket. 
Moeraki Boulders on Koekohe Beach on the Otago Coast on South Island in New Zealand have been eroded by wave action from the cliffs of soft, black mudstone. 
Pyramid Rock in Pyramid Lake, an artificial salt lake, in Nevada, USA.
Diddo Clark used to organize a swim starting at Point Bonita, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco. 
Goa is on the western coast of India and the site of the India International Triathlon where the weather is especially pleasant and sunny from November to March.
Ponta da Piedade in Lagos is a jewel of the Portuguese southern coast. 
On December 26th, cold-water swimmers from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Britain, Germany and Slovakia took part in the Vltava River Swim (three separate races of 100, 300 and 750 meters) in Prague. 
While the water could be considered cold by some, it was not as cold as the winter of 1946 when it was impossible to hold the annual race. 
Rachel Golub (shown on left) announced an audacious plan to swim with fellow extreme adventurers Cristian Vergara, Scott Lautman and Patricia Sener, all experienced open water swimmers, in a joint attempt to cross the treacherous 3-mile Beagle Channel between Chile and Argentina sometime during the third week of January 2010. 
But, despite the obstacles, Cristian exudes confidence. "Having swum for nearly two hours in those conditions on our Strait of Magellan crossing (passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans), but it is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the unpredictable , we're confident that we'll be able to succeed in the Beagle Channel, though it certainly won't be any less physically or mentally challenging."
The Coney Island Polar Bear Club, founded in 1903, is the oldest winter bathing organization in America whose members swim in the Atlantic Ocean every Sunday through winter. The Coney Island Polar Bears organize arguably the most famous Polar Bear Swim in America.
Southern Californian Forrest Nelson completed an unprecedented December crossing of the Catalina Channel yesterday in 9 hours and 21 minutes under great conditions.
35 of the world's top professional marathon swimmers, including World Cup champions Thomas Lurz and Poliana Okimoto and swimmers from Russia, Croatia, Israel, Canada, the Netherlands, the USA, France, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Equador, Venezuela, Germany, Italy, England, Portugal, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Australia are expected to descend upon Santos, Brazil - with huge crowds to support them and cheer them on.
The pro athletes will participate in the rectangular 10K Atlantic Ocean venue (see course map on left) at the Maratona Aquática Internacional de Santos (Santos International Marathon Swimming Renata Agondi Trophy).
But the pro race will also be held in conjunction with an opportunity for amateurs of all ages and abilities to participate in 1K, 2K and 4K races in the I Etapa - Santos event (Copa do Mundo da FINA). Like the pros, the amateurs can showcase their talents in the beaches of Brazil. 
Back in the 1970's, a quiet, hard-working open water swimming team in Southern California, coached by Siga Rose, had a number of young ocean swimmers who trained constantly along the coast of California. Those swimmers - Lynne Cox, Penny Dean, John York - eventually became world-famous as they went on to set numerous records in channels around the world.
1. La Jolla Cove Swim Club that trains in La Jolla Cove just north of San Diego. The club is an informal organization of friendly people who like to swim in the ocean with training sessions and sponsored activities once a month. The club organizes a Polar Bear Swim on New Year's Day, the 1.5-mile CYA Across the Bay Swim in June, and the 1.5- and 5-mile Tour of Buoys Swim in early August. 
2. Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association has a number of informal and formal training sessions and events, all held north of Los Angeles in the Santa Barbara area, including the 26-mile Big Swim channel crossing. The members are extremely helpful and knowledgeable about swimming in the Santa Barbara Channel area and sanction a number of channel swims every year.
4. Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA), first founded in 1907, is an umbrella organization that currently incorporates 305 local surf lifesaving clubs throughout Australia. These clubs are undoubtedly the epitome of open water swimming clubs where competitive swims are organized as part of the famously competitive, extremely popular, highly social and entertaining surf carnivals.
7. The Cabrillo Beach Polar Bears was started in 1953 by John Olguin and Jack Cheaney with the goals of health, physical fitness and community service. 
10. The Serpentine Swimming Club has own changing facilities and is allowed to swim in the Serpentine in Hyde Park in central London during certain morning hours. Its members swim year round and organizes the annual Peter Pan Cup Christmas Morning Swim. 
12. The Dolphin Swimming and Boating Club, established 1877, has rightly developed a proud tradition of safety, camaraderie and accomplishment over its long history. The iconic clubhouse is located near Fisherman's Wharf in full view of the majestic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay. 
15. The South End Rowing Club, founded in 1873, has a club adjacent to the Dolphin Club, located near Fisherman's Wharf in full view of the majestic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay. The club hosts the annual 1.25-mile Alcatraz Invitational Swim and a series of club swims, but its members train year-round in all conditions with only a swimsuit and a thermal cap. The camaraderie of the club is enticing and engaging. Like most clubs on this list, getting started is easy: just come down to the club and introduce yourself or help out at a club event.
17. The L Street Brownies, officially organized as a club in 1902 with a history that has been traced to 1865, enjoys the L-Street Bathhouse as its headquarters. Members have been enjoying the cold waters of Boston Harbor for over 100 years and annually host the L Street New Year's Day Swim - a Boston tradition since 1904. Their club name comes from the beach where the club member meet and for the nut-brown skin color members develop from exposure to the sun. 
22. In central Florida's Lake Cane, the tireless promoter of open water swimming Dr. Lucky Meisenheimer is the lightening rod behind the global band of merry open water swimmers who regularly gather at his famously hospitable residence - home to the world's largest yo-yo collection - to enjoy open water training sessions, events, get-togethers and relays. 
23. The Waikiki Swim Club has held weekly swims throughout Oahu including Saturday morning swims at Ala Moana Beach Park and Sunday morning swims at Kaimana Beach (on the Diamond Head side of Waikiki Beach) since 1971 as Hawaii's oldest organized club devoted to promoting safe and fun ocean swimming.
26. The Capo Masters is located San Juan Capistrano, California and has been meeting in Laguna Beach and other beach locations throughout Orange County and Los Angeles County for over twenty years. 
27. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club, established in 1903, is the oldest American winter bathing organization whose members swim in the Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island every Sunday from November to April. They have organized one of the most publicized Polar Bear Swims in the US for decades.
As part of the Total Immersion 2010 Coaches Manual, founder and CEO Terry Laughlin advocates swimming to grow new brain cells rather than simply to grow new blood vessels. Instead of thinking about swimming from a physiological perspective, Total Immersion is advocating swimming for its neurological benefits.
John J. Ratey, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and renowed author of Spark - The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, is a learned advocate of the relationship between exercise and the brain’s performance. In Spark, Dr. Ratey shows how even moderate exercise can supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking and enhance memory. 
It is not a competition, but a celebration. FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup champion Poliana Okimoto, two-time pool and open water Olympian Kristel Köbrich of Chile and American Eva Fabian will headline a trio of match races in Chile to kick-off the 2010 season.
But Kristel is also one tough competitor. At the 2009 World Swimming Championships, she had arguably the toughest schedule of any woman in Rome: she finished sixth in the 5K, eighth in the 10K the following day, fourth in the 1500-meter freestyle and tied for 8th in the 800-meter freestyle today, did another 800-meter swim-off to qualify for the her final swim in the 800-meter freestyle for a total of 18.1K of swimming. See her below:
Suijutsu (or Suiei-jutsu) (水術 in Japanese) is the Japanese martial art of combative swimming. Iwasaki Hisashi-sensei, Soke (Headmaster) of Kobori Ryu suiei-jutsu in Kyoto, teaches and preserves this rare form of ancient martial art.
LEN (Ligue Européenne de Natation), the governing body of 51 national European Swimming Federations, and sports reporters from across the European continent honored Thomas Lurz and Angela Maurer as its Open Water Athletes of the Year.
Thomas, the double 5K and 10K world champion and FINA World Cup champion, will receive his award along with the winners of the other aquatic disciplines before the finals at 13th European Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul tomorrow. 
Gary Duffield won the annual Peter Pan Cup Christmas Morning Handicap Swim in the Serpentine in London yesterday. The water, measured at 0°C (32°F), had just defrosted from the ice sheet that had melted overnight. Peter Pan Cup Christmas Morning Handicap Swim, first held in 1864, is open to members who have competed in three winter series event, typically held in under 4°C (40°F) water. 
From the Bristol Channel in south Wales to Brighton on the south English coast and many other places throughout Great Britain, thousands of adventurous and merry swimmers took to the cold winter waters on Christmas day.
Photo above shows long-time Brighton Swimming Club Bob Phipps finishing his regular morning swim. Like dedicated masters swimmers around the world, Bob gets in his swim before heading to work. Bob follows in the footsteps of fellow Brighton Swimming Club members who have long enjoyed sea swimming since 1860. 
The annual Pupkewitz Jetty Mile in Namibia will be held this Sunday. Namibia is between South Africa and Angola on the southwestern coast of Africa. The event is in Swakopmund, a holiday resort town about halfway along the Namibian coast. 
Max Siedentopf is the defending champion, but will face some experienced multi-sport athletes in Tokkie Bombosch and Nico Sterk, who will all be competing for a variety of prizes and prize money (N$500) compliments of C.B. Enterprises.
The first American national open water swimming championships was reportedly held in 1925 from Chain Bridge to Georgetown in the Potomac River near Washington D.C., although local races such as the La Jolla Rough Water Swim in California had started earlier in 1916.
President Obama arrived in his hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii today.
Tomás Haces of Cuba is the chairman of the Unión Americana de Natación (UANA) and a member of the influential FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee. 
Conrad Wennerberg, who wrote one of the most definitive books on marathon swimming (Wind, Waves and Sunburn - A Brief History of Marathon Swimming), has a treasure trove of first-hand insights into the world of open water swimming. Here is one such interesting historical tidbit:
Conrad Wennerberg is the Chairman Emeritus of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and the widely respected author of Winds, Waves and Sunburn - A Brief History of Marathon Swimming, one of the most authoritative books written on marathon swimming.
Open water Olympian and professional swimmer Chloe Sutton is known for working out very hard. 
Vijaya Claxton from New York, one of the most respected, committed and cherished English Channel swimmers in recent history, passed away this week after losing her battle with cancer.
In 2007, after three difficult attempts, she achieved her dream at the age of 59 after battling tough conditions for 22 hours and 27 minutes. 
The Ocean's Seven Challenge includes seven of the toughest channel swims in the world: (1) the cold-water, jellyfish-strewn Irish Channel (between Ireland and Scotland), (2) the rough and treacherous Cook Strait (between the North and South Islands of New Zealand), (3) the wildly rough and shark-filled Molokai Channel (between Oahu and Molokai Islands in Hawaii), (4) the iconic English Channel, (5) the challenging Catalina Channel, (6) the continental-crossing Strait of Gibraltar and (7) the relatively unknown Tsugaru Channel (between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan).
While these channel swims are well-known to most marathon swimmers, the Tsugaru Channel in northern Japan presents a challenge and an adventure in part of the world that few Westerners know or visit.
SwimTrek has limted spots available on its 'swim of a lifetime', the Hellespont Swim which is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Lord Byron's crossing of Hellespont, from the European continent to Asia.
The narrow channel, which has played different roles throughout man's history, will be site of the 3-mile swim from the ancient town of Eceabat on the European side of the straits to the naval fort in Canakkale, Turkey. 
SwimTrekis also inviting swimmers to the 26th annual Turkish Victory Day Swim in August. The swim commemorates the final victory for the Turks in the Turkish War of Independence in 1922 against the Greeks and will include optional tours to Gallipoli and Troy.
America's best crossover swimmer and 2008 Olympian Chloe Sutton announced she is now, officially, a professional swimmer.
In a competitive open water race with a mass start, sometimes swimmers get boxed in swimming within a pack.
Karen Throsby, a sociology lecturer at the University of Warwick is conducting research on English Channel swimmers.
Lynn Arave of the Deseret News wrote an history of open water swimming in the Great Salt Lake in Utah. World champion Thomas Lurz of Germany and FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup champion Poliana Okimoto of Brazil have committed to the Ocean Racing World Championship Series extravaganza in South Africa. Thomas and Poliana will compete in the 2K Ocean Racing Series World Championships against South African swimmers, like world championship medalist Chad Ho. The next day, they will participate in the 7K Nelson Mandela Bay Bell Buoy Challenge and the following day, they will face other top swimmers in the 750-meter King of the Bay Swim Challenge.
It's never too early to plan ahead.
The Halfway Toyota Midmar Mile will be setting the record straight on February 13th and 14th as it establishes itself as the world's largest open water swimming event.
In this weekend's Duel in the Pool, the made-for-television pool swimming competition pitting America's swimming stars against the best pool swimmers from Great Britain, Germany and Italy, Keri-Anne Payne showed why she is so tough in the open water. 
Dan Martin is undergoing training in England for his audacious, awe-inspiring, beyond-imagination, Herculean Global Triathlon.
We were shocked to hear his unprecedented adventure and had the pleasure to interview him. His humble nature, his level of commitment and his detailed logistical planning impressed us as few others have. 
In July 2011 in Greece, there will be a world's first: the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens will hold its first open water swimming competition. 
In March 1965 during the eighth season of a very famous American TV detective series called Perry Mason had an episode called Perry Mason, The Case of the Murderous Mermaid. 
For athletes who will compete in the 2010 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming 5K and 10K Championships in Marine Stadium in Long Beach, California in June, here are 10 tips:
6. The 10K race at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the 2010 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Select Camp will be held in the same venue. 
9. The championships will double as the American qualifying race for the 2010 World Open Water Swimming Championships which should mean there will be great competition and exciting finishes. 
