Did not think I would be doing another Alcatraz swim so soon, but I did it with WOWSA :)

I gave a speech at the WOWSA awards! I was incredible. I had an amazing time! 

Here is my speech:
I’m here to tell you why you should never, not even for a second, step into the ocean:

• The water is cold

• There are sharks
• And you could get lost

And that’s what I was thinking when I was 11 years old, nervous for my first Alcatraz swim. When I first went swimming in the bay, let me tell you, it was not a good experience. The water was numbing, I am pretty sure I touched a great white, and I swam the whole way alone, or at least that is what I thought. Honestly, I am not even sure why I continued. But now 4 years later I have fallen in love with open water swimming.

I encountered a culture shock when starting open water swimming, but in a good way. I thought sports equaled competition, but in open water swimming you don’t compete against others, rather you strive to accomplish goals you set for yourself. You meet people who are much older or younger, who have different interests or beliefs, and who you might never meet otherwise. It gives you a broader sense of community, makes you more aware of different perspectives, and shows you that world is bigger than it might seem. For instance Lisa, who is one of my closest friends. We have what you might call an “unconventional” friendship, since Lisa is older than me. At first I considered her a distant grown-up, but after singing “I can’t feel my face” by the Weeknd while we were training in the freezing cold water together, I can’t call her anything but a friend.

A few months ago, I swam from Catalina Island to shore. When I started, the full moon was hidden behind thick clouds which made the surroundings pitch black. I never opened my eyes in the water because I don’t want to see any wildlife, but I broke my own rule and all I saw was blackness with the tiniest sliver of white light on the curve of the horizon. Next to me was a large fishing boat with glow sticks hanging from the rim. On my other side was a kayak decorated with string lights. Even in the darkness, I felt secure knowing that people were watching out for me. In fact, I had a crew of 12, each person had a different job, but everyone’s sole purpose was to safely guide me to the mainland. And as I swam, I was aware of all my senses. It was as if I was gliding through another world. A world contained in a large black marble. It was just me and the water. I was not thinking about the 100 things I had to do, rather I was focused on the one thing: being fully awake and present. The sensation of being in this black marble is one of the many feelings I have experienced while swimming in the ocean. I was truly connected to nature.

Near the end of August I was doing another swim from Aquatic Park to Angel Island, around Angel Island and then back to shore. Everyone told me that it was one of the hardest swims in the SF bay, but as I started the swim, I thought WOW, this is the easiest thing I have ever done. Of course, I had spoken too soon and the Ocean Gods needed to humble me. They pushed waves at my face, gradually decreased the water temperature, and made me swim as if on a treadmill every once in a while. If you have not experienced that before, imagine swimming as hard as you can and not making any forward progress. But eventually, I got through that stretch, and thought it was the end of the struggle. I had reached Alcatraz and since I had swum from the island to shore many times before, the rest was sure to be easy. Unfortunately I was not going anywhere, anytime soon. I was kicking the hardest I had ever kicked. I was putting in so much effort but I was not moving. I was getting a little-pissed off. No, actually I was legitimately pissed off. My crew was on the boat cheering me on while there was nothing to celebrate. Waves were hitting me in my face, going up my nose and down my mouth. I started raging. I WAS NOT MOVING! At times, I was actually moving backward. I started to scream in the water, a bunch of swear words, to say the least. It was the angriest I had ever been in my life. I later found out that I was in the same exact place for over an hour. I can’t even tell you how that feels. To work so hard to not drown, but to still have to find the inner fire to keep swimming. And looking back at that swim, I do remember the pain, but more so, I remember how proud I felt having conquered my desire to quit.

People have all kinds of reasons not go open water swimming. When I first started, I was scared of the cold, worried about sharks, and about getting lost. But a few years later I am so grateful that I chose to stick with it because of all the memories and experiences I have had. Now I have replaced my reasons why not with reasons why to:

• You meet all types of wonderful people
• You can fully connect with nature
• And you can set out to and actually accomplish things you never would have imagined

I have been asked what motivates me to do these long swims, and more than anything it’s the idea of swimming for a purpose larger than myself. Through open water swimming I have been able to help other children accomplish their own dreams. Because of the recognition I have gained from open water swimming, I have been able to raise awareness and money for Children International, which helps children escape the cycle of poverty around the world. By doing what I’m passionate about, I can help others kids pursue their passions.

Everyone should try open water swimming at least once. And it might turn out to be the best thing you ever to do,  OR it might not be the thing for you. Whatever you choose, I urge you to try something that scares you a little. Because taking risks can lead to high reward and you never know ... you might surprise yourself.

I love Jolyn so much, and I am so happy that they came to my school today and told some swimsuits. 10% of the revenue went to Children International!

I was so honored to be around so many legendary swimmers!!
@ Catalina Channel Swimming Federation & Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association

Last year I put on layers and layers of thick, white, fishy-smelling Desitin on every inch of my body, only to be told that I would not able to start my swim. So you can imagine the nervousness I had putting Desitin in anticipation of the same swim a year later, hoping it would not be called off. The reason I was putting on Desitin, more commonly known as diaper rash cream, was mainly to protect my skin from the sun, but also from the polluted water of San Francisco Bay. For some reason I was not nervous for the swim itself, it was just supposed to be a 10-mile swim to Angel Island and around the island and back. I had heard about other people completing, thought to myself “How hard could it be?” I was all greased up with Destin, I had my cap and goggles on, and I was ready to swim. I stood on the shore waiting for the “OK,” to start. In times like these, waiting to get into the water, when I wonder why I attempt such extravagant, complex, and technical swims. They are long and hard, and really can be monotonous at times. Sometimes I think I am crazy for swimming miles in the ocean beginning at the earliest hours, but at this point, there really wasn’t anything I could do. Just swim. 

I stepped into the water and it was warmer than I expected. Around me were other swimmers in their bathing suits cheering me on. They were going out for a swim since the flood current was going to be strong and help push them from Golden Gate to Bay Bridge. As I submerged myself in the water, I thought that this was going to be a quick, 7 hours swim, there was nothing to worry about. 

Within 30 minutes I was out next to Alcatraz. I had swum in the water so many times, I knew it by heart. It was one of my talents, drop me anywhere in between the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge and I would be able to find my way home. My crew on the boat were cheering me on, yelling “You are doing so well, you are going so fast.” Lisa, the crew chief, even joked “the Coastal Guard gave you a speeding ticket.” I was gliding through the water, having an enjoyable time. I thought about what I would say when I finished and couldn’t decide between “I wish all my swims were that easy,” “Literally could do this in my sleep.” I continued to make progress and 1 hour in the sun started to rise. The best part of all my swims was when the sun rose. The orange, yellow glow of the sky reflecting on the ocean, was the most beautiful sight. The water always felt warmer in the sun, oh and I could actually see. 

I split the swim into 6 parts. First would be swimming to Alcatraz. Then would be the swim from Alcatraz to Angel Island. Third, the portion around Angel Island. Next back to Alcatraz from Angel Island. Fifth a simple Alcatraz to shore swim. And finally, the last 1000 meters of the swim where I am so, so close to finishing, but still not yet there. I had easily swam to Alcatraz and was now working my way to Angel Island. It was a tad bit difficult because the wind was creating waves which we hitting me in the face, but like everything, I got through it. By the time I reached Angel Island, I had been swimming for 3 and a half hours; I was quote “ahead of schedule.” I rounded the corner of Angel Island and the wind instantly died down. 

I thought for awhile about how my name is Angel and how the island name is Angel. There was not much besides our names relating, but it was a nice anecdote to think about. I watched the trees on the backside of Angel Island fly past me. I really like swimming, because I get to see how things look from a various perspective. I have seen the San Francisco cityscape from the water at 3 am, 6 am, 12 pm, 9 pm. Each time it is changes and different parts of the city are highlighted. It is really something you can only understand from the water. I thought about this as I rounded Angel Island, how everyone sees the front part of the island, but I saw how it looks from the back. It made me feel special like I was in on a secret. I also thought about the Spongebob meme and created a meme about this swim: RoUNDtRiP AngEL ISLaNd iS a HaRD SwiM. I laughed (in my head) about it for a while. That’s when I started to slow down. I had spoken too soon and the Ocean Gods need to humble me. They pushed waves at my face, gradually decreased the water temperature, made me swim on a treadmill for a little bit. But it was nothing I have not handled before, so I got through it. Lisa said, “Hey Angel, get to Alcatraz, and it is all downhill from there!” It was not all downhill from there, in fact, it was uphill, a steep, neverending, dreadful uphill. 

​I had reached Alcatraz and since I had swum from Alcatraz 51 times before, this was sure to be easy. But on the contrary, I was not going anywhere, anytime soon. I was 20 feet away from the island and was not moving one bit. I was kicking the hardest I had ever kicked. I was putting in so much effort and I was not moving. I swam closer to the island, 10 feet away, 5 feet away, nearly touching the island and I was not making any progress. I was getting a little-pissed off. No, actually I was legitimately pissed off. My crew was on the boat having the time of their lives while I was simply not moving. Waves were hitting me in my face, going up my nose and down my mouth. I started raging. I WAS NOT MOVING! At times, I was actually moving backward. I started to scream in the water, a bunch of swear words, to say the least. It was the angriest I had ever been in my life. 

I later found out that I was in the same exact place for 2 hours. Do you know how that feels? To feel like you are working so hard to not drowning and to feel helpless, but to still have to find the inner fire to keep swimming. Then after crossing that section I swam back towards to Aquatic Park. But I was pushed towards the Bay Bridge and had to swim a few extra miles against the current before reaching the opening. 

Throughout the swim I wondered if my crew was thinking of calling the swim and picking up out of the water. I knew for sure that I was not getting out since I had spent so much energy and I did not want to have to do the swim again. I was not getting out of the water until I walked out. And I did walk out the water 11 hours after I walked back in.

I want to thank my outstanding crew!!
John Morrison was a fantastic kayaker. I was in awe that he was on the kayak for 11 hours in the super rough water! 
Lisa Amorao, as always, came through and was a great crew chief as usual. 
Evan Morrison was the observer from Marathon Swimmers Federation and ensured my swim was on track despite the winds, tides and other challenges!
Brent McLain was the captain of the boat. 

This morning I had an interview with CNN again. It was a few hours before my Roundtrip Angel Island. That's all I could think about throughout the whole interview. Glad it went well though! 

Online Version

Just a few days before my Roundtrip Angel Island swim... Since I am tappering for the swim I could not do the Birdwatcher's annual Bridges to Wharves swim. But I was able to be part of the  beach landing crew. I helped welcome the swimmers to Capitola with hot chocolate, towels, and blankets, and ensured that all swimmers were accounted for. Was great to hear the swimmer's stories from the water.