San Jose Mercury News | Eight-year-old Sunnyvale native swims Alcatraz

Mitali already swam the waters spanning the Golden Gate Bridge and has done the swim from Alcatraz five times now, and Anaya is not far behind.

On Sept. 9, both girls plan on doing the Island to Island swim.

"I give so much credit to the girls who are very consistent with practice and follow our coaching," said coach Pedro Ordenes, founder of Water World Swim.

Ordenes holds the world record for Alcatraz swim crossings with more than 900. He is also the only person to complete a round trip crossing of the Beagle Channel between Chile and Argentina, in water temperatures averaging 39 degrees and without a wet suit. And in 1999, he swam across the Strait of Magellan in 39.7 degree waters.

"I'm very proud of them and to have them be on our team," Ordenes said of the sisters.

Continued on mercurynews.com