A Seal Named Sammy

Friend and fellow Channel aspirant, Mike Humphreys from Seattle, and I swam from the Burrard Street Bridge in Vancouver to 3rd Beach in Stanley Park and return (5.5 KM). We fought the current on the way out and rode the incoming tide on the way back in. For safety reasons, we were escorted by a kayak manned by Rod Craig (of Gooey Tube fame). We were also escorted by a silver and black spotted Harbour Seal named Sammy. The experience of swimming with seals is analogous to walking your dog. The big difference is that seals have very bad fish breath. There was quite a bit of chop in English Bay and the waters were 11'C (52'F)--still really cold. This would explain the wetsuits we were wearing. We swam for 1 hr. 40 min. in the ocean, followed by 2000 m in the pool. Beer, pasta and comaraderie followed.