Washington state: What it's like to swim in that allegedly overheated ocean

Bellingham, Whatcom County Local News | Bellingham Herald

But the spring weather has been unseasonably cold, and so is the water. For every 1½ degrees rise in water temperature, he can swim another hour.

Humphreys trains to be in the water for 14 hours for his channel swim. He had hoped to do a four-hour swim this Saturday.

He can’t. Not in 53 degrees. He lasted one hour.

Last weekend, he swam from Post Point at Marine Park to Inati Bay on Lummi Island, which had him in the water for 2 hours, 25 minutes.

On Sunday, he swam from the park to the north end of Eliza Island, also 2½ hours. It was trying.

“It’s the cold water. It takes a lot out of him,” McKinnon says.

For his part, Humphreys describes stepping into 53- degree water, and staying there, as a shock that’s hard to wrap his mind around.

“It hits you like a hammer. It takes my breath away,” Humphreys says.