Swimming for Life

Joe Oakes

The author after being patched up by the ship’s doctor. — When we think of places to enjoy swimming in Europe our minds tend to drift to the Greek islands, Spain, the French Riviera or the warm beaches in Italy. Think of beautiful and inviting warm places like Nice, Barcelona, Capri or Santorini. Sunny, sandy beaches, warm water and beautiful people. But would […]

Off the Block – Swimming in Scandinavia

January 5, 2023 in Aqua Master Online / Human Interest / Long Distance / Motivation / Open Water by Joe Oakes

We didn’t go to the Antarctic to swim. Eighty-six of us, all experienced marathon runners, were there to take part in the very first full-distance marathon (26.2 miles) held on that frigid continent, an event organized by a Boston company called Marathon Tours and Travel. It would be a unique […]

HOT OR COLD? TAKE YOUR CHOICE

October 20, 2022 in Aqua Master Online / Featured / Human Interest / Motivation by Joe Oakes

Joe Oakes — I must confess that, for several reasons, I was reluctant to do this swim. Here is what I mulled over while deciding whether to do the swim or not: The Voice whispering into my left ear said: You know that you do not love getting up at five A.M. to […]

Roy Webster Cross Channel Swim, 2022

September 17, 2022 in Aqua Master Online / Events / Human Interest / Motivation / Open Water / Special by Joe Oakes

Joe Oakes — In 1953, a year after I graduated from high school, my Aunt Mercedes Barbarosa gave me two books as late graduation presents, something that I could carry with me as I left for military service in Korea. The first was a copy of her beautifully illustrated book, The Living Goya. […]

Yoga and Swimming

July 23, 2022 in Aqua Master Online / Breathing / Coaching / Fitness / Motivation by Joe Oakes

Joe Oakes — In the beginning, there were runners, there were cyclists and there were swimmers. They revolved in separate spheres and rarely even saw each other, spending many hours a week honing their skills in their respective sports, seeking a shorter marathon time, a better cycling century or a faster 1500-meter swim. […]

Wetsuit Weenies

April 28, 2022 in Aqua Master Online / Human Interest / Open Water by Joe Oakes

Joe Oakes — Back in the Good Old Days, i.e., before the 1970’s, it may be hard for young folks to believe, but there was no such thing as a triathlon. Triathlons simply did not exist, not until a dozen or so military guys drinking in a bar in Honolulu, arguing about which […]

Returning To The Scene Of The Crime

March 28, 2022 in Aqua Master Online / Events / History / Human Interest / Memories by Joe Oakes

Joe Oakes — Many years ago, Frank Drum, the president of the San Francisco Dolphin Club, was quoted in an interview by a local newspaper reporter. Here is his version of the biblical quotation, “Many are called, but few are chosen,” to describe the club’s swimmers in cold San Francisco Bay. “Many are […]

A Biblical Quote

January 20, 2022 in Aqua Master Online / Human Interest / Open Water by Joe Oakes

Joe Oakes — In early April 1983 four of us, my son Chris, who was studying at the University of Arizona in Tucson, his friend, bicycle mechanic Steve Smith and Mike Russell, a juvenile probation officer from Spokane, Washington, set out on what we called “Triathlon America.” I had bought an old, used […]

The Liberty To Liberty “Triathlon”

December 29, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Events / Human Interest / Memories by Joe Oakes

Last Saturday I went for my final August swim at Broughton Beach. Broughton Beach is on the Columbia River, right behind PDX. The swimming area is long enough for a few laps back and forth. It is a place on the Columbia River where I can feel safe from heavy […]

Keeping Our Beaches Clean

October 22, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Featured / Human Interest / Motivation / Open Water / Special by Joe Oakes