Swimmers from across the Bay Area rang in 2025 with the annual New Year’s Day swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco.
It’s a tradition the South End Rowing Club has kept up for more than two decades.
“It’s a great way to start 2025,” said 79-year-old swimmer Levy Gerzberg.
This is a race where it’s not all about competition and the last one out of the water is just as important as the first.
“After two and a half hours of sleep, I’m OK,” Gerzberg said. “Should have taken Uber.”
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He’s one of 56 brave swimmers from the South End Rowing Club that jumped into the Bay from Alcatraz on purpose, only about six-and-a-half hours into the new year.
And what looks like a lifetime achievement for some, is just a regular morning swim for others.
“This was my 111th Alcatraz escape,” Gerzberg said.
Gerzberg swam in honor of his late coach, who he swam with for 12 years across six different countries.
“I was thinking about many things, especially my Coach Pedro who left us on Fourth of July,” he said.