I don't know if anyone saw the article about the 9 year old kid who made the infamous swim from Alcatraz to shore. It got me to thinking, what kind of parent would let their 9 year son swim through the SF Bay? Not only is the water extemely cold, but it is shark infested water...sounds like child abuse to me, or at least neglect. I will see if I can find the article.
What were they thinking?
- Thread starter blt2ride
- Start date
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051010/ap_on_fe_st/young_swimmer
SAN FRANCISCO - A nine-year-old boy has just finished a pretty tough morning swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco.
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Johnny Wilson, from Hillsborough, made the 1.4-mile swim in under two hours, braving choppy morning waters and rough winds in a portion of the San Francisco bay known to have sharks as well.
Wilson's classmates were waiting for him on shore, cheering as he made it all the way to Aquatic Park.
His effort raised about $30,000 for the Red Cross Katrina Hurricane Victims Fund.
Wilson said the toughest part of the swim was the beginning, because it was cold and windy.
SAN FRANCISCO - A nine-year-old boy has just finished a pretty tough morning swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco.
ADVERTISEMENT
Johnny Wilson, from Hillsborough, made the 1.4-mile swim in under two hours, braving choppy morning waters and rough winds in a portion of the San Francisco bay known to have sharks as well.
Wilson's classmates were waiting for him on shore, cheering as he made it all the way to Aquatic Park.
His effort raised about $30,000 for the Red Cross Katrina Hurricane Victims Fund.
Wilson said the toughest part of the swim was the beginning, because it was cold and windy.
If I had a kid I am not sure I'd be letting him do that. I think that he should at least reach adulthood before seriously risking his life on stunts.
How bad are the sharks though? The distance isn't tremendous, but the cold and sharks can make it tough. It's hard swimming when your leg is bitten off.
How bad are the sharks though? The distance isn't tremendous, but the cold and sharks can make it tough. It's hard swimming when your leg is bitten off.
I didn't read the entire article; I missed the part about his efforts raising $30,000 for victims of Hurricane Katrina. This kid must be an amazing swimmer, it's a real accomplishment for an adult swimmer to make it across the Bay...ridetoofast said:
i agree. the only thing i can come up with is that he is a) too young to realized that he 'cant' do it b) the resiliency of youth.
either way big big
to this cat, who knows what the future holds for him if he can swim like that???
either way big big
to this cat, who knows what the future holds for him if he can swim like that???
I'd let my kid do that. I'm sure there was a follow boat with a spotter and a life gaurd. When sharks attack, they typically hit their prey first, rather than simply start eating. In addition, the follow boat could easily have one of those fish finder things, that many fishermen use. I'd imagine it would be easier for radar to find a shark than a minnow. If there's a shark nearby, he gets out of the water, eats a brownie, drinks some milk, and waits for the shark to go away.
When people try to swim from Alcatraz to shore there IS usally a boat right there.
The kid WANTED to do it, I do not see the problem???
I went motoing in the desert last week with some friends, one of my buddies brought his 10 yr old with us, he rode for 6 hours with us on the trails, is that wrong too? Do not think I ever saw a kid have so much fun.
The kid who swam the bay, his parents were in a boat right next to him...sounds like you are one of those over protective americans.
I went motoing in the desert last week with some friends, one of my buddies brought his 10 yr old with us, he rode for 6 hours with us on the trails, is that wrong too? Do not think I ever saw a kid have so much fun.
The kid who swam the bay, his parents were in a boat right next to him...sounds like you are one of those over protective americans.
i'm with stik, my kid will be boostin' doubles when he is barely old enough to ride a bike. i can only imagine the huckworthyness of him by the time he reaches 9 years of age....stiksandstones said:
so, now that you know it's for charity, that makes it ok to you, when before it wasn't? what an oppressor....
im curious how people dont know the kid but automatically assume that hes to do it. theres some kids on mountain bike racing downhill that are way young. isnt that just as dangerous?
for some reason, people get wigged out by unpredictable things. stuff like strong currents or large carnivorous fish.
I don't think motorcycles and bikes are too dangerous for kids. Maybe, it's because that's what I grew up doing, and the whole ocean thing is foreign to me.stiksandstones said:
Here's a pertinent question: Has anyone *ever* been attacked by a shark swimming from Alcatraz to shore? Hell - how many people have ever been attacked in SF Bay?
Right - I know that people get chewed occasionally out along the coast - but do the sharks come in and attack *in the bay*? That's the more pertinent question.Wumpus said:
SkaredShtles said:
Great White's don't generally hang out in the bay. There are quite a few smaller sharks but they aren't generally all that dangerous or agressive. Most of the shark bites are in the farallon triangle (or red triangle) inverness, farallon islands, bodega bay.