Coghlan Beach Swim
The Coghlan Beach Fun Swim is a non-timed, non-competitive fun swim organized by the Dolphin Club in Coghlan Beach in San Francisco Bay, California.
Coghlan Beach
Coghlan Beach is an informally named small sandy beach at the end of a spit of land that forms the outer edge of the harbor behind Marina Green in San Francisco Bay, California, between Aquatic Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Coghlan Beach is unofficially named after Frank Coghlan who was a well-respected open water swimmer who was a member of the South End Rowing Club for nearly 40 years and swam in the San Francisco Bay almost every day until he was about 80 years old. He completed over 50 Alcatraz Island crossings and dozens of swims across the Golden Gate Bridge in the tricky and dangerous tides.
The beach was named for him after he was pulled in there by the tides during a long swim. He was over a mile from his destination and had to be picked up by one of the pilots. It was so foggy that day he had no idea where he was – he could not see the entrance to the harbor only a few yards away. He stood there in his Speedos and bright orange cap until one of the rowers came to get him. That may be the only time he was every picked up by a pilot boat.
