What does it really feel like to swim under the Golden Gate Bridge, cross an ocean channel at night, or share the water with whales? This week, I’m joined by marathon swimmer Lauren Lesyna, who takes us inside the fascinating world of open water swimming.

I quiz Lauren on the female history of San Francisco’s Dolphin Club, the world’s longest unassisted swims, and myths about jellyfish stings — while she shares incredible stories from her own adventures.

Lauren has tackled some of the world’s most iconic swims, from the English Channel and North Channel, to California classics like Catalina Channel, Angel Island, and Lake Tahoe, all the way to the Strait of Gibraltar. Along the way, she’s collected stories about whales, sea lions, bioluminescence, jellyfish stings, and the incredible team effort it takes to survive hours in the open ocean.

From history-making swims to jellyfish stings in the shower (yes, really), Lauren brings epic stories, humor, and insights that will make you see the Bay in a whole new way.

In this episode, we cover:

🏊‍♀️ The first woman to crash a men-only swim at SF’s Dolphin Club

🌉 What it’s like to swim under the Golden Gate Bridge

🕵️‍♂️ Did the Alcatraz escapees actually make it?

🐋 Swimming alongside whales (and why sea lions are scarier)

🌌 Bioluminescence in the Kaiwi Channel

🦈 Menacing Cookie Cutter Sharks

🩱 Jellyfish in swimsuits (the infamous post-swim shower story)

🚤 How pilot boats keep swimmers alive (and fed!)

Dive in now for laughs, swim history, and a few trivia tangents along the way. Don’t forget to follow Trivia Tangents so you never miss an episode!

Links:

• LongSwims Database (Lauren Lesyna)

• Lauren’s website: https://www.swimsintheswells.com/

• Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox

• Grayson - Lynne Cox

• https://dolphinclub.org/about/a-timeline/

• https://longswims.com/longest-swims/

• https://health.clevelandclinic.org/pee-jellyfish-sting

• Hotel Nymphia

• FBI History: Alcatraz Escape 

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Website: https://triviatangentspodcast.com/

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LinaOsofsky/shorts

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Open Water Swimming

04:09 Zeta Weed: First Female Swimmer at Dolphin Club

06:35 Sava Pool Name Origins

07:12 The Dolphin Club's Colorful Past

11:59 Female Presence at Dolphin Club

15:58 The Rivalry Between Clubs

18:49 Experiences in Cold Water Swimming

21:36 Lauren's Bday Bay Swim

25:06 Sharks in the Bay

26:40 Lauren's Fav Bay Swims

29:11 The Alcatraz Escapees: Did They Make It?

31:55 Longest Unassisted Open Water Swim

33:26 Inspiration from Legendary Swimmers

34:58 Lynne Cox

37:49 Facing the Challenges of Epic Swims

39:27 Bioluminescence

41:25 Cookie Cutter Sharks

44:31 Pilot Boat Team

49:44 Mental Preparation for Long Swims

52:20 Physical Training for Long Swims

55:14 Jellyfish: Myths and Facts

57:52 Personal Jellyfish Encounters

01:08:46 Concerns Beyond Jellyfish (Sea Lions)

01:13:25 Advice for Aspiring Marathon Swimmers