Sierra Madre Man Swims Around Alcatraz

Local Sierra Madre labor lawyer Pete Dickinson was one of 50 swimmers who made it around Alcatraz island in San Francisco Bay on Sunday, July 10.

The race is held yearly for the past 15 years. The four different division breakdowns are Wetsuits Men’s and Wetsuits Women as well as Skins Men’s and Skins Women.

Dickinson placed eighth in the Skin division for men, with a time of 2:00:58.

At age 50, Dickinson beat guys half his age, pretty impressive given that the race covered a distance of 5,800 meters.

Dickinson, who is a partner at Glendale’s Bush, Gottlieb Law Offices, grew up in the Bay Area and has been fascinated with the mystique of and tall tales surrounding Alcatraz since he was a kid. In particular, he was fascinated by tales of prisoners unable to escape because of the fear of sharks and and the freezing waters.

In the late '90s he started his hobby of open-water swimming with the thoughts of swimming around Alcatraz.

The biggest hazards to swimmers are cold temperatures and strong currents.

“It’s like swimming across a river," Dickinson said. “At times the water got so choppy, when I’d kick my feet I’d be hitting air.”

Even though Dickinson’s time and finish are undoubtedly impressive, he still seemed disappointed.

“On the way back I made a navigational error. Navigation is huge when swimming in open water because you can’t see anything unless you’re up on a swell. So I had to back track a little ways against the current. I could have done better.”

Pete made a commitment and trained for months for the swim. He swam weekly from Manhattan Beach Pier to Hermosa Beach Pier trained with weights. He also swam at the Rose Bowl acquatic center. All this while keeping his hectic schedule at his law firm and flying to New York for business just a week before the big event.

In the end, it was all worth it. Dickinson's family was there to greet him, including his daughter, Linda, who welcomed him with a big hug, and his mother, Eleanor, who gave him a pot of hot tea.

For more info about the swimming in open water or Alcatraz visit  www.waterworldswim.com/index.html