As a result, we have many animals, mostly birds, which are totally unique and also critically endangered. Many of them can only survive on offshore islands which have been comprehensively cleared of predators at vast effort and expense. The islands need to be relatively accessible since humans have to get to them to maintain them, but it turns out that once in a while a predator will swim quite vast distances for no apparent reason, and it only takes one to mess up years of painstaking work. Quite apart from killing a bunch of birds whose total remaining numbers might range from the tens to the hundreds of individuals.

I remember visiting Angel Island (a 0.5mi swim) and seeing the abundance of raccoons they have, and asked a ranger how they got there. They also swam.

Growing up on a lake I would regularly watch deer swim the quarter mile back and forth between the shore and a nearby island, with no problem.

Almost anyone who is swimming for more than 15-20 minutes will be wearing a neoprene wetsuit and cap to keep warm (maybe a fur coat counts). The water temperature is 54F right now, and mid 60s in the Summer/Fall. There's a real risk of going into hypothermia at these temperatures.

The first time I tried it, the shock of the cold winter water made me swim faster in panic, which quickly winded me, and I was glad to get out of there! I had to learn to slow my breath and ease into my swim stroke.

I also found the open water disorienting. It's hard to swim in a straight line when the tide is pulling you, or the wind is pushing you, or the sun is in your eyes.

But if you want to give it try, there is a protected cove at Aquatic Park [0] with a dedicated swim lane and a great community. An informal group meets in the bleachers every day around 1-2pm (sunniest time of day), with everyone taking turns to watch your stuff.

There are also two (private) clubs that organize events (like the Alcatraz swim): the Dolphin Club (1] and the South End Rowing Club [2]. The clubs are nice because they have lockers and a sauna to help you warm up after.

It's not always fun (maybe it's type 2 fun?). A lot of the time it's frustrating. Like, why do my goggles keep filling with water? or why can't I get into a flow today? Or why do I keep having this intrusive thought that I can't see what's under me? (There have been a few seal bitings). Or sometimes it feels like I'm barely moving and I don't know why I'm dragging so much. Did the current/tide/wind change? If I don't sleep well, I feel it immediately in the water. It's a good gauge of your health/mood on that day. I got a lot out of it.

[0] https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/historyculture/aquatic-park-p...

[1] https://serc.com/swimming

[2] https://dolphinclub.org/swimming/

Impressive though.

I really like the coyotes here.

Only dumbass mfs who let their pets off leash (I live in Pac Heights, you're supposed to have a leash on your dog at Lafayette Park and yet every day I see morons letting their dogs off leash OUTSIDE THE DAMN DOG PARK AREA. FUCK OFF!!!!) or let their small children go without supervision where they're not supposed to are at risk.

The worst part is that the authorities will put down the coyote (for being a coyote) and I hate reading stories about coyote culling.

Life would be so much better if morons were fined and eventually displaced into oblivion for making dumbass decisions that could have been easily avoided if they were not so negligent.

But yeah its nice to live in a city with cool nature like that. We have parrots, raccoons (there's a little family of them living near my home), coyotes, owls, hawks. Love it!

I wish everyone the best of luck here, but I can't shake the image of the lonely guy unwittingly calling young females in proestrus to their likely deaths. An appropriately gender-swapped Coyote Siren of Alcatraz.

Maybe female coyotes are smart enough to understand SF Bay tides and currents, or just to ignore the crazy loud guy. I sure hope so.