Joseph Locke

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Joseph Locke, member of the Night Train Swimmers
Night Train Swimmers with Phil Cutti, Dave Holscher, Joe Locke, Kim Chambers, Zack Jirkovsky, Patrick Horn and Captain Vito Bialla on the SF to SB Relay

Joseph Locke is a lifelong open water swimmer from the San Francisco Bay area and a member of the Night Train Swimmers. The former Harvard University water polo player (Class of 1991) attempted a traditional double-crossing of Lake Tahoe in 2011 and made another double-crossing attempt in 2012 under the governance of the Lake Tahoe Swimming Society. He has completed solo crossings of the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, and the Strait of Gibraltar (4 hours 39 minutes) and is ranked 18th on the global Oceans Seven list. He has attempted two solo swims from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands, 30 miles west of San Francisco Bay before completing a crossing in 13 hours 58 minutes from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge on 12 July 2014.

World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Nomination

"Joseph Locke is a lifelong open water swimmer and former water polo player who has always attempted difficult swims. Success has not come to the 43-year-ol Harvard graduate as he failed twice in separate two-way crossings of Lake Tahoe. But between crossings of the English Channel, Catalina Channel and Strait of Gibraltar, the San Francisco-based businessman and father found the time for 7 different attempts between the Farallon Islands and the Golden Gate Bridge as well as facing numerous other disappointments when he never even got off shore to start. Time and time again, water temperatures dropped below 10°C (50°F), powerful tides shifted relentlessly against him, and conditions became impassible during his Farallon Islands swims. For finally completing his Farallon Islands swim on his seventh attempt in 13 hours 58 minutes, for maintaining his humor and hunger while repeating being pulled from the cold, tidal waters outside the Golden Gate Bridge, for genuinely enjoying the journey as well as its destination, Joseph Locke is a worthy nominee for the 2014 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year."

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2014 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Nominees

1. Adam Walker (Great Britain), Oceans Seven Swimmer
2. Allan Lopes Mamédio do Carmo (Brazil), FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup Champion
3. Colin Hill (Great Britain), Race Director & Open Water Ambassador
4. Ferry Weertman (Netherlands), 2-time European Champion
5. Henri Kaarma (Estonia), Ice Swimmer & Cold Water Ambassador
6. Joanes Hedel (France), FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix Champion
7. Joseph Locke (U.S.A.), Farallons Freestyler
8. Lewis Pugh, OIG (Great Britain), Ocean Advocate
9. Otto Thaning, M.D. (South Africa), Oldest English Channel Swimmer
10. Phil White (U.S.A.), Outstanding Organizer
11. Tomi Stefanovski (Macedonia), Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean Co-Champion
12. Xavier Desharnais (Canada), Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean Co-Champion

Farallons Island Attempt

Locke attempted the first certified solo swim of the Farallon Islands Swimming Association.

Q1. What motivates you to swim from the Farallons to the Golden Gate Bridge? It's a good swim, not too short - great scenery.

Q2. Are you going to pace yourself or are you going to push the pace? Will keep my standard pace.

Q3. What is the biggest obstacle that you will face: cold water, rough conditions, marine life or something else? Rough conditions are the toughest - I get sea sick when I swim.

Q4. Are you excited, nervous or both? I am actually relaxed - looking forward to a couple good hours of swimming.

Catalina Channel Crossing

SF to SB Relay

Locke was also a member of the Night Train Swimmers that attempted the SF to SB Relay, the world's longest non-stop ocean relay swim attempt (339 miles or 545.4km) from San Francisco to Santa Barbara along the California coast together with Phil Cutti, Patti Bauernfeind, Dave Holscher, Kim Chambers, Zack Jirkovsky and crew Patrick Horn and Captain Vito Bialla. It was halted after 6 days due to bloom after bloom of venomous jellyfish.

Farallon Islands Attempt

2014 World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men

Locke was named to the 2014 list of the World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men determined by the World Open Water Swimming Association. The honorees are presented alphabetically by their last name.

1. Nick Adams, channel/marathon swimmer from England
2. Antonio Argüelles Díaz-González from Mexico
3. Cyril Baldock, marathon/channel swimmer from Australia
4. Peter Bales, escort pilot in Cape Town, South Africa
5. Ram Barkai, ice swimmer from South Africa
6. Nejib Belhedi, marathon/stage swimmer from Tunisia
7. Vito Bialla, escort pilot of the Farallon Islands, California, USA
8. Alexander Brylin, channel ice swimmer from Russia
9. Bruckner Chase, marathon/extreme swimmer from California, USA
10. Andrew Chin, ice/extreme swimmer from South Africa
11. Salvatore Cimmino, amputee/marathon swimmer from Italy
12. Phil Cutti, extreme/relay swimmer from California, USA
13. Ned Denison, marathon/ice swimmer from Ireland
14. Marcos Díaz, marathon/adventure/charity swimmer from the Dominican Republic
15. Craig Dietz, open water swimmer from Pennsylvania, USA
16. Ted Erikson, channel/marathon/professional swimmer from Illinois, USA
17. Sylvain Estadieu, marathon/channel/butterfly swimmer from France
18. Christopher Green, marathon swimmer from England
19. Rafael Gutiérrez Mesa, escort pilot/governing body president from Spain
20. Colin Hill, ice/channel swimmer and event director from England
21. Henri Kaarma, ice swimmer from Estonia
22. Craig Lenning, marathon/channel/ice swimmer from Colorado, USA
23. Joseph Locke, marathon/channel swimmer from California, USA
24. Pádraig Mallon, marathon/channel/ice swimmer from Ireland
25. Vojislav Mijić, marathon swimmer/event director from Serbia
26. Darren Miller, Oceans Seven swimmer and event director from Pennsylvania, USA
27. Kevin Murphy, renowned marathon/channel swimmer from England
28. Forrest Nelson, marathon/channel swimmer and governing body president from California, USA
29. Matías Ola, ice/extreme swimmer from Argentina
30. Michael Oram, renowned escort pilot in the English Channel
31. Kieron Palframan, ice/extreme swimmer from South Africa
32. Jamie Patrick, marathon/extreme swimmer from California, USA
33. James Pittar, blind marathon/channel/extreme swimmer from Australia
34. Claudio Plit, marathon/channel/professional swimmer from Argentina
35. Dan Projansky, marathon/extreme swimmer from Illinois, USA
36. Lewis Pugh OIG, endurance swimmer/ocean advocate from UK
37. Michael Read MBE, renowned marathon/channel swimmer from England
38. Stephen Redmond, Oceans Seven swimmer from Ireland
39. Philip Rush, marathon/channel/professional swimmer and Cook Strait escort from New Zealand
40. Mike Spalding, channel/marathon swimmer from Hawaii, USA
41. Petar Stoychev, marathon/channel/Olympic swimmer from Bulgaria
42. Ryan Stramrood, ice/extreme swimmer from South Africa
43. Martin Strel, marathon/stage swimmer from Slovenia
44. Dr. Otto Thaning, channel/marathon swimmer from South Africa
45. Toks Viviers, ice/extreme swimmer from South Africa
46. Adam Walker, Oceans Seven swimmer and coach from England
47. Christof Wandratsch, ice/marathon/channel/professional swimmer from Germany
48. Brenton Williams, butterfly/ocean swimmer from South Africa [in photo above by Clive Wright]
49. Theodore Yach, marathon/channel swimmer from Cape Town, South Africa
50. John York, marathon/channel swimmer from California, USA

External links

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