Pacific Open Water Swim Co. Reviews

Had a fantastic swim and experience from Alcatraz with Bryan. He was super knowledgeable and made the journey fun!

We had an awesome experience with Brian and Sylvia swimming the Alcatraz Escape! Coming all the way across from Australia was worth it. No better crew to swim the open water with- knowledgeable, safe and most of all fun. Thank you so much.

I swam with Pacific Open Water Swim Co by pure chance during a quick business trip to San Francisco. Sylvia and Bryan are very competent and well organised. The boats are modern and well equipped for pilotting swimmers of different abilities. I found all aspects of the experience to be very enjoyable, fun and rewarding. I will come back and try some longer swims.

I could not have imagined a better swim! Completed the Bridge to Bridge swim with Pacific Open Water Swim Co. I felt so safe the entire time, very clear communication and direction throughout the entire swim. They are clearly very experienced and knowledgeable and keep safety as their #1 priority the entire time. I had such an amazing experience and will certainly be swimming with them again.

A huge thank you to Sylvia and Bryan for helping me achieve my dream of swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco! From start to finish, their communication was exceptional, making sure I knew exactly what to expect. Their meticulous attention to detail and focus on safety made me feel completely at ease. They chose the optimal timing with the tides, giving me the best chance for a successful swim. It was also a pleasant surprise to discover that Sylvia and I have a mutual friend who spoke highly of her, describing her as “the best in the business”. I can’t wait to come back and do the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz swim!

Sylvia and Brian have this down to a science. I felt so safe with them at the helm of their boats while making my swim. Sylvia even gave some encouragement to me in my first few minutes in the water and I got out of my own head and got my Alcatraz swim DONE. My 2 cheerleaders rode on the boat with her and had a great experience too. There is nothing that compares to swimming and turning your head to breath and seeing the Golden Gate bridge on the horizon.

I did a 6-hr qualifier with Sylvia on Oct 26 of this year. She was fantastic in terms of providing information and support. She demonstrated a number of tips and tricks regarding feeding. She also providing valuable feedback about my swimming without my asking. I found the whole experience very positive and her friendly manner was especially pleasant. These guys are real pros at this activity.

An epic experience with Bryan. Guided us for a successful swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz. Bryan gave us confidence prior to the swim and really looked after us throughout the swim. Safety was primary in everything we did and it made for a really enjoyable experience. Seeing porpoises, seals and sea lions and a blast around the bridge completed our swim perfectly. Would definitely use again for another swim

I had the most memorable and amazing swim with Sylvia and Brian. After a traumatizing swim with another company last year, I was very nervous to swim in the Bay again. They made sure that safety is number one, they communicated clearly, and they made me feel comfortable in the Bay water again. The boat was beautiful and my mom and friends were able to view the entire swim from the boat. We couldn’t stop talking about how great Sylvia and Brian are to work with. I’m definitely going to do another swim with them soon!

It has been truly a pleasure to swim with Pacific Open Water Swim Co., with emphasis on safety and achieving every swimmer’s objective, the overall experience is outstanding ! I recommend them wholeheartedly !!

The most epic swim accomplished. Everything from swim pals to air temp, water temp and calmness of water was perfect! We couldn’t have planned for a more Epic Day Thank you Warren lager and my swim pals! Mostly thanks to Sylvia! She is brilliant Capt. I felt so safe the entire swim!

Just did an Alcatraz swim with Pacific Swim company and couldn’t be happier. All they do is guide swims and it shows. Highly professional captains that have extensive experience in open water swimming. Clear briefing ahead of time so we knew what to expect and then great guidance throughout without interfering with the swim. Next time I’m in the area I’ll be sure to book them again for another one of their swims. 11/10

Sylvia & Bryan are amazing pilots! Safe, thorough, and so much knowledge of the SF Bay and open water swimming in general. Whether you are new to open water swimming and want to do your first Alcatraz crossing, or if you’re looking for longer swim options (including marathon swims) or just long training swims, they are great! I’ve done numerous swims with them over the years and have been impressed by their level of professionalism and knowledge every time. I learn something new on every swim! (For reference, some swims I’ve done with them over the years: Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz, Bridge to Bridge, and Round Trip Angel Island, plus some long training swims (6-8 hrs.))

Hands down my most epic location so far in my swim career. Bryan was the most excellent captain, safety team, funny guy and all round awesome dude where nothing was too stupid to ask or to silly to think. While safety was the number 1 point on the agenda, having an awesome experience was a very very close second. Knowledge, time and just letting us getting on with our ‘pod’ swim was brilliant. I want to swim the entire bay now! Thank you team. You were most most excellent ❤️❤️

This morning I had the most amazing experience, swimming open water from the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz. It was made possible by the team at Pacific Open Water Swim Co. who were wonderful. When I booked they were very helpful and answered all of my questions but were also honest, because with experiences like this, safest has to come first. On the day they put me at ease, explained everything clearly and demonstrated that they have expertise in both swimming and navigating within the Bay Area. The swim itself will be the highlight of my trip. The water was choppy under the bridge I had been warned) and then smooth afterward about five minutes in the water. Around half way through, the sun started to rise and the view was just incredible. I'm normally a slow and steady swimmer (about 38 minutes for 1.5K) but today I did 5K in around 50 minutes, thanks to a significant current flowing in through the bridge and it felt good the whole way. I really can't recommend Pacific Open Water Swim highly enough - thank you for a great memory!

Outstanding service from Pacific Open Water Swim Co to ensure a safe and successful swim. I did the Bridge to Bridge swim during the middle of Fleet Week and the organization and coordination could not have been better. Big swims in the SF bay require crossing major shipping channels, and after seeing Bryan and Sylvia in action, there is no way I would consider attempting this without the experts at Pacific Open Water Swim Co. They were both extremely knowledgeable of the area, maritime traffic, currents, and leveraged technology to provide us with situational awareness throughout the duration of the event. I will absolutely be returning for another swim soon!

The Bridge to Bridge swim was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Bryan and Sylvia were extremely professional and made me feel safe and supported the entire way. I can’t wait to book my next adventure with them!

Great place for sight seeing.

Such a wonderful experience! Super pro guidance and tips Thanks for a great swim <3

I had an awesome Bridge to Bridge swim yesterday piloted by Brian and Sylvia (we took two boats to maintain a 4:1 ratio of swimmers to pilots). You won’t get this level of individualized piloting and navigation anywhere else, so if you are new to open water swimming or looking to take your swimming to the next level, I highly recommend choosing Pacific Open Water. Looking forward to booking a Golden Gate to Richmond Bridge swim with them in the future! Also, the Axopars are pretty sweet boats…definitely another factor to consider especially if you’re bringing a guest.