J Weekly | From Israel to Alcatraz, 68-year-old is in the swim

In an online search, Gerzberg found Pedro Ordenes, a Chilean-born swim coach who not only has swum the Strait of Magellan in 39-degree waters, but has swum from Alcatraz to Aquatic Park more than 900 times and does not wear a wetsuit.

After training with Ordenes for four weeks, not only did Gerzberg reach his goal of doing his first Alcatraz swim, but he has since made it from Alcatraz to the shore at least 15 times, nine of them formal events and another six group swims.

“You feel this challenge and freedom while you’re touching nature,” Gerzberg said of open-water swimming. “In the ocean, in particular, you feel like you’re out of this universe. You’re just miniscule in this huge body of water. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Continued on jweekly.com