Photography In The English Channel

When we observe photographs of swimming doing an English Channel swim, whether it is a solo attempt or a relay, we frequently see two types of photos - either the swimmer in the middle of the Channel with a ferry or cargo ship in the distance or a swimmer crawling onto the French shore.

So we asked experienced Channel hands why? These are the answers we received:

"Photographing channel swims is a challenge I have found. Having a ship in the distance makes a better composition. It's hard to make those photos look interesting with all that ocean and the tiny swimmer even with telephoto,," said Foundation for Women honoree Anne Cleveland who did a two-way crossing in 2004.


"I think that everyone who swims the Channel – is always a little wary about tankers in the Channel – especially the boat crews who support. When you actually get out there as crew yourself, it is great for the swimmers to have photos like this. I have several and for the swimmers albums, it is marvellous to have photos like this to remember – unless the swimmers are very close, they do not always see what passes them! It does make one (and many others!) realise how small we all are in comparison – and always makes a good story too as to how close the ships got," said International Marathon Swimming Hall of Famer Sally Minty-Gravett of the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club.

"This type of photo yin the English Channel is popular because it clearly portrays the fact that the swimmer is swimming in open ocean through a major shipping lane. Dealing with large ships and swimming through heavy shipping lanes is one of the potential hazards of this sport – particularly in the very busy English Channel. Including a ship in the background also adds perspective as well as a point of interest in the photo," said Paula Selby of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation who has traveled the world on assignment taking photos of marathon swimmers.

We wonder if there are other reasons for these camera shots?

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Penny Palfrey Escorted To History

Penny Palfrey became the first person to swim 40 miles (64K) from Santa Barbara Island to Pt. Vicente on the California mainland in 17 hours and 53 minutes (see map below).

Santa Barbara Island is the smallest of the Channel Islands near Southern California, located near the more famous Catalina Island.

According to reports from Anne Cleveland aboard her escort boat, the water temperature was a comfortable 68-71˚F (20-21.6˚C) for most of the swim, warming to 74˚F (23˚C) under the warm California sun.

Penny was occasionally escorted by friendly dolphins under remarkably calm seas. It is obvious to sense her joy in the unprecedented swim.


This was her sixth major marathon swim of 2009 with a 70K (43-mile) Alenuihaha Channel swim from the Big Island of Hawaii to Maui, a regular Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, a reverse Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, a Maui Channel swim from Maui to Lanai, a 120K triple-crossing relay of Lake Taupo under her belt.

Photos by Anne Cleveland.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Gatormen Face Rough Water In La Jolla

Anne Cleveland reported from the yesterday's La Jolla Rough Water Swim, America's largest and oldest open water swim: "It was a close race for first in the 3-mile Gatorman all the way to the finish, but Deni Cullom finished 5 seconds ahead of Alex Kostich, followed by Catalina Channel men's record holder Todd Robinson."

"The first female finisher Dawn Heckman was not far behind in the usual choppy afternoon conditions."

"We had a high tide combined with a mixed predominantly west swell, causing some big surf at the finish. The lifeguards were working overtime keeping swimmers off the stairs near the finish. A nightmare for safety, but they got everyone in with no mishaps."

The top five Gatormen finishers in the 79th annual event included:


1. Deni Cullom 1:00:03
2. Alex Kostich 1:00:08
3. Todd Robinson 1:01:25
4. Samuel Morgan 1:01:38
5. Jerry Mahoney 1:02:58

1. Dawn Heckman 1:02:58
2. Lynette Lim 1:04:37
3. Jaqueline Corcoran 1:05:45
4. Amy Dantzler 1:09:24
5. Stacy Peterson 1:11:53

Photos of Deni Cullom by Howard Lipin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Australian Sweep at the Pacific Swims

Photo on left shows English Channel swimmer Anne Cleveland, 10K winner James Cahill, 3K winner Kate Brookes-Peterson and Olympian Melissa Gorman, women's 10K winner, at the end of Pacific Swims' Fiji Ocean Swim Series.




Nerang Swimming Club coach John Papuni and Brookes-Peterson (shown in the photo on left) were joined by Cleveland in an open water swimming clinic before the Series.





Pacific Swims annually hosts the Fiji Ocean Swim Series that includes 1.5K, 3K and 10K ocean races off the Plantation and Lomani Island Resorts. The 10K race also doubled as the sanctioned Fiji National Open Water Championships.

The 10K race saw swimmers from New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Fiji experience all kinds of conditions from start to finish. At the start on Plantation Island, the field face winds at their side and uneven chop. As the swimmers made their way around the island, the swells became significantly larger until they swam on the lee side of the island in flat shallow water. As they came back around to the finish, they headed straight into the wind under cloudless skies.

Upper photos provided by Anne Cleveland.

Lower photo shows the beach start area of the Fiji Ocean Swims on Plantation Island.

Fabulously Fantastic Fiji Fun

2007 World Swimming Championship double bronze medalist (5K and 10K) Kate Brookes-Peterson, Nerang Swimming Club coach John Papuni and accomplished English Channel swimmer Anne Cleveland will host the Pacific Swims Breakfast with the Champions and Swim Clinic on October 17th at the Fiji Ocean Swim Series.

Pacific Swims annually hosts the Fiji Ocean Swim Series. This weekend, the Series includes 1.5K, 3K and 10K ocean races off Plantation and Lomani Island Resorts. The 10K race also doubles as the sanctioned Fiji National Open Water Championships.

In addition to the Fiji Ocean Swim Series, Pacific Swims also hosts the Vanuatu Ocean Swim that includes 1.5K and 3.2K races and the Espiritu Santo Swim, a challenging 2.6K swim on Vanuatu's Big Island as well as Swim Safaris, guided island hopping and coastal swims in Fiji.

Upper photo of Kates Brookes-Peterson provided by Paul McCoy of Pacific Swims. Lower photo shows the beach start area of the Fiji Ocean Swims on Plantation Island.