Pier Swim
by Victoria Yee

Thursday, June 19, 2006               Memories of Coach Bray         Photographs

“The pier swim is just a part of our life,” Ray Bray, a former lifeguard, FVHS swim coach, and participant once said.

The 56th annual Huntington Beach “Rough Water” Pier Swim attracted more than 300 participants this year. Swimmers ranged from Huntington Beach locals to those from faraway Hawaii and Illinois.

The event, often described fondly as a “madhouse,” took place on Saturday, June 10th at the south end of the pier. There was a wide range of ages among the participants, starting from middle school students to 70-year-olds and up.

Olga Emmer, 70, finally participated in the race after a year of persuasion by her swimming buddy, Red Schiel, 56. Emmer was at first afraid of the waves, but conquered her fear once she dove into the fierce waters.

This year’s two to four feet waves in 67 degree water was considered easy compared to previous years. In the ‘50s, the pier was longer and the water higher and fiercer.

Those competing were divided into divisions by skill and age. Rules include no wetsuits, fins, or floatation devices. All must swim around the outsides of the pilings with no head-first diving with arms above the head.

Safety was an important issue. Orange swim caps were distributed to all the swimmers so their presence could be seen in the water, and more than twenty Beach Lifeguards were stationed to rescue those who were swept under the pilings.

The average time to swim around the pier is 15 minutes and the record is 8 minutes, 46 seconds.

Andy Bray, 47-years-old and son of legendary Ray Bray, was first to complete the race with 9 minutes, 50 seconds. He has participated in the event for more than 30 years and has won countless times.

“There were plenty of crazy people out there back then, just like now,” said Mike Garrity, Andy’s friend who watched from the pier.