There's no doubt about it -- the water in San Francsco Bay is cold. So, why would a bunch of people voluntarily take a dip? For sport, of course. But about half a dozen of those extreme athletes discovered over the weekend just why most people prefer to stay dry.
Rescuers pulled two swimmers from the chilly water Saturday during the RCP Tiburon Mile Open Water Swim and treated four more for mild hypothermia.
Tahoe Boaz, one of the firefighters who rescued the chilled swimmers, told the Marin IJ that he suspects the swimmers got co cold this year because "the ferry boats were so packed ... by the time they jumped into the water, they were already cold. The air temperature was cold."
Firefighters say many of the 850 race participants had to wait on shore because the ferries were packed, so their body temperatures were low before going into the water.
Chip Peterson and Christine Jennings both took home $10,000 prizes for winning the race from Angel Island's Ayala Cove to the downtown Tiburon waterfront.
