Swim Support
Escort Boats & Pilots
Swimmers are responsible for hiring their own escort boats and pilots. Please keep in mind:
- Boats must have sufficient capacity to accommodate the swimmer, swimmer's crew and paddlers, and observer(s).
- If a swim is anticipated to take longer than 12 hours, dock to dock - i.e., any swim other than a one-way Anacapa or shorter inter-island crossing - the escort boat capacity must account for two observers. Also, for swimmers using U.S. Coast Guard certified boat captains, a second captain is required by law.
- Bear in mind that the swimmer and the escort boat owner enter into an agreement regarding the hiring of the escort boat. SBCSA is not involved in this negotiation, nor is SBCSA directly involved in this transaction
Boats out of Santa Barbara
| Boat / Features | Contact | Class | Size | Capacity | Head | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truth Aquatics (multiple boats) |
manager@truthaquatics.com 805-963-3564 |
motor boat | 50-60 ft. | varies | yes | request quote |
| Santa Barbara Sailing Center |
sherry@sbsail.com 805-962-2826, ext 104 |
sailing boats | 28' to 50' | varies | varies | Call for pricing. 10% discount for SBCSA members |
Boats out of Channel Islands Harbor and Ventura
| Boat / Features | Contact | Class | Size | Capacity | Head | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuna Thumper | Bob Andrieux salineenterprises@yahoo.com 805-535-8519 |
motor boat | 42 ft | 6 | 1 | $1400 (Anacapa or Santa Cruz to Oxnard). +$300 per hour after 12 hrs (dock to dock). Other islands: call for quote. |
| New Blue Fin | Steve and Mary Volaski info@hookslanding.net 805-382-6233 |
motor boat | 46 ft | 25 | 1 | $1450 |
| Raptor | Jim Smith jim@venturadive.com 805-650-7700 |
motor boat | 46 ft | 32 | 1 | $1,395 (Anacapa to Oxnard). +$250/hr after 12 hrs (dock to dock). Other islands: call for quote. Ask for Jim or Lyle. |
| Scorpio | John Farrell 805-276-1383 |
motor boat | 53 ft | 6 | request quote |
Boats out of San Pedro (Port of Los Angeles)
| Boat / Features | Contact | Class | Size | Capacity | Head | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom Scratcher | Greg Elliott captain@bottomscratcher.com 714-963-4378 |
motor boat | 60 ft | 10+ | 2 | request quote |
| Outrider | John Pittman adra1@cox.net 310-547-9388 |
motor boat | 50 ft | 8 + crew | 2 | request quote |
Support Paddlers
The SBCSA recommends support paddlers (kayakers or prone paddlers) for Santa Barbara Channel swims, but they are not required. The following paddlers have indicated they are available for hire on channel swims:
- Allison Bayne:
- John Bair: 805-705-5238 (cell), 805-962-7053 (home)
- Josh Ball: 805-320-7975 (cell)
- Tony Chapman: 805-207-2112 (cell), 805-383-6490 (home)
Alternatively, there is a network of Southern California-based support paddlers and crew organized by Neil and Gracie van der Byl. You can request to be paired with someone from this network by filling out this form.
If you are interested in supporting other people's swims - as a paddler or crew person - you can join the network by filling out this form.
Crew
You must provide your own crew who have primary responsiblility for your motivation and feeding. They can access years of experience (see News & Stories) from the Association, but all swimmers should have decided and perfected their feeding routines long before arrival.