Alcatraz isn't really that far from land, about a mile away. They have events where you can swim to and from it. The currents make it dangerous, but the distance is unremarkable.

▲ dredmorbius 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

There are local clubs which swim from the island on a regular basis, year 'round. If not absolutely daily, several times a week.

Water temps vary by time of year, but are particularly mild from late summer through late fall. Even winter-time temps aren't particularly challenging. A dog could easily make the swim.

Currents are a challenge, but mostly if you're planning on landing at a specific point along the shore. If your goal is simply to make it to shore, they're far less an issue. Just swim cross-channel and you'll make it.

The physiological and psychological challenges are greatly overblown.

▲ loloquwowndueo 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Most people cannot swim a mile.

▲ dexwiz 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Humans also aren't good swimmers, and we assume all land mammals are as bad as us.

	▲	loloquwowndueo 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Don’t make assumptions about my assumptions. :)

▲ throwaway173738 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Is it really only a mile? There are coyotes on islands in Washington that would’ve swam further than that through some strong tidal currents.

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rexarex 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Half a mile

	▲	Aloisius 44 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		It's definitely a mile from the closest pier as the crow flies, a mile and a quarter from land. Depending on the current, actual swim distance will be closer to 1.4-2 miles since it'll drag you out of a straight line.

▲ defrost 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

All the same every year > 2,000 people attempt the 12 mile swim to see a cute Quokka on Rottnest Island.

* https://rottnestchannelswim.com.au/

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rottnest_Channel_Swim

  The 36th annual Rottnest Channel Swim will be held on Saturday, 21 February 2026.

Mind you, that's largely Australians who grow up swimming more than many US Navy SEALs do.

Come on down, the waters fine, the sharks rarely nip.

I'm suprised to see a HN comment along the lines of "most people don't ...", after all, most people don't program computers, start million and billion dollar companies, build out datacentres, fly planes, ... etc. The site is littered with people confidently doing things most people do not.

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SauntSolaire 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Worth noting that the water in San Francisco can be up to ~20 degrees colder than the water off the coast of Australia. Which adds to the difficulty some.

	▲	defrost 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Sure, there are also a number of cold water long distance swims - the English channel is famous, the Tasmanian ones less so .. but they're cold, long, and have some wicked currents depending which one you take. * https://www.iswimhappy.com/tas * https://www.derwentriverbigswim.com/ The Rottnest swim is just a long warm bath for those that like to dip a toe in and start easy. To the best of my knowledge few ever attempt the horizontal falls even at slack tide - the waters are warm but the salties and the sharks can be off putting .. come tide change the stoppers will eat people. > than the water off the coast of Australia. I should note that Australia is a large continent with an area equal to that of mainland contiguous USofA .. it's not all Gold Coast Qld, just as the US is not all Florida. Eg: the current water tempreture in San Francisco ( 12.5°C / 54.5°F ) is on par with the September water tempreture when surfing offshore breaks in southern Western Australia (not Perth, the south coast where all the fun is).

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brendoelfrendo 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I am way, waaaay more afraid of box jellyfish than I am about sharks in Australia's waters, though I'm sure that's an equally rare occurrence?

	▲	defrost 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		If you're a regular to the Australian beaches and headlines I visit you'll see a shark every week .. sometimes daily - and after five decades of swimming once a week if not daily you might get brushed up against once or twice - but it's unlikely you'll be bitten. You will, however, almost certainly know or meet someone that can flash the scars of a bite. Shark bites - rarer than the headlines make out. _However_ shark behaviour may well be changing due to increased human waste changing ocean patterns: https://theconversation.com/4-shark-bites-in-48-hours-how-wh... Jellyfish - seasonal and locational. There are areas where you just shouldn't go in the water for a couple of weeks. Nasty. Melbourne's currently got a bloom of lion's mane jellyfish that'll leave a welt (tingly red strip on the skin) for a couple of days. * https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-19/lions-mane-jellyfish-... As far as sea misadventures go, easily the funniest thing I've seen (sorry, we're like that, laughing at danger) was a young kid surfing with a pod of dolphins getting fully pancaked by a breaching dolphin that cleared a wave top, made serious air, and landed smack centre on the kid and his board. He (the kid) got winded pretty hard, did get his (damaged) board back, and was laughing about it afterwards. The dolphin was not available for comment. ( Addendum: Dolphins being cheeky is more common than reported in W.Australia - here's one that did get captured on video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa7dSv3NBB0 )