Tampa Bay Frogman Swim

Tampa Bay Frogman Swim is one of the World's Top 100 Open Water Swims

Captain John Doolittle starting the 2010 Tampa Bay Frogman Swim

The Tampa Bay Frogman Swim was nominated for the 2019 WOWSA Awards in the World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year category and the 2021 WOWSA Awards in the World Open Water Swimming Event of the Year category

Clearwater lifeguards on Gandy Beach (also known as Earnhardt Beach) in St. Petersburg at the first crossing of Tampa Bay that later became the Tampa Bay Open Water Challenge and subsequently the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim. Photo includes Terry Tomalin, Ron Collins, and Dan O'Shea

John Doolittle starting the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim in 2010

James Christie swimming backstroke in the 2015 Tampa Bay Frogman Swim, completing the 5 km swim in 1 hour 31 minutes

Serbo Simeoni of Safety Harbor, Florida competes in the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim

The annual Tampa Bay Frogman Swim is a 5 km open water charity swim in Tampa Bay, Florida organized by Kurt Ott to help raise funds for severely injured active duty Navy SEALs. The swim is supported by the Navy SEAL Foundation and is one of America's Top 100 Open Water Swims. It is one of the highest grossing charity swims in the world, raising US$725,000 in the 2019 event, with over US$3.5 million total.

1 History
2 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nomination
3 Sister Swims
4 Leadership
5 Navy SEAL Foundation
6 Mission
7 Distance
8 Type
9 Location
10 Contact
11 Event Information
12 2014 Race Results
13 Navy SEAL Foundation
14 Tampa Bay Frogman Swim
15 2021 World Open Water Swimming Event of the Year Nomination
16 External links

History

On 3 January 2010 with less than 3 weeks notice, over 100 people gathered at Gandy Beach (also known as Earnhardt Beach) to participate in a 3.1-mile (5 km) charity swim to Picnic Island across Tampa Bay in order to raise over US$30,000 for a severely injured active duty Navy SEAL Lt. Dan Cnossen. The swim has been formally named the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim and is supported by the Navy SEAL Foundation.

The original swim was a fundraiser for Lt. Dan Cnossen who was wounded in Afghanistan. The swim followed the route of the original Tampa Bay Open Water Challenge from St. Petersburg’s Gandy Beach to Picnic Island in Tampa. The inaugural event was co-founded by Terry Tomalin and Dan O'Shea and organized by Race Director and SEAL Mark Lampman.

2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nomination

The Tampa Bay Frogman Swim was nominated for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year award as follows:

Charity swims attract all kinds of open water swimmers, from passionate environmentalists and those who remember the namesake of the event to local athletes and those who are simply drawn to the cause. The Tampa Bay Frogman Swim is supported by a wide spectrum of athletes, working exceptionally hard to honor and support the event's beneficiary: the Navy SEAL Foundation. The 5 km swim in Tampa Bay, Florida is the world's highest grossing charity swim per swimmer that raised over $725,000 in its 2019 event with only 164 swimmers. Because 100% of the proceeds support wounded and fallen Navy SEALs and their families, the success of this event is off the charts. Its start is solemn with a dignified military ceremony that is reflective and dramatic. The swim is not easy with swirling currents and low water temperatures, symbolic of the challenges that Navy SEALs face. Its finish is festive and celebratory. For the all-volunteer professional organization of the event by retired military officers, for the safe production of a challenging swim that has since expanded throughout the United States, for the selfless and extraordinarily generous support of military personnel and their families, the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim in Florida is a worthy nominee for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.

Sister Swims

The Frogman Swim Series includes the San Francisco Frogman Swim in San Francisco, California and the Boston Frogman Swim that are the sister swims of the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim.

Leadership

Kurt Ott – Event Director
Terry Tomalin (in memoriam) (Tampa Bay Times) – Co-founder
CDR Dan O’Shea, USNR (SEAL) – Co-founder
Samuel Farnan - Co-founder
Board of Directors:
CAPT John Doolittle (SEAL), USN Retired
Glenn Paige, MD
Brian Harrington, Esq

Navy SEAL Foundation

The Navy SEAL Foundation supports wounded and fallen Navy SEALs and their families. 100% of proceeds from the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim are donated to the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Mission

The Tampa Bay Frogman Swim strives to build national awareness of the Naval Special Warfare community and support the Navy SEAL Foundation whose mission is to provide immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and their families. The swim presents a challenging endeavor to provide a small reminder of the hardships endured by our elite and silent warriors while encouraging others to support and donate to the cause.

Come swim with the Navy SEALs and help us “never leave a man behind”

Distance

Km 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles

Type

Venue Ocean

Location

City St. Petersburg

State Florida

Country USA

Region Americas

Contact

Name Kurt Ott, Tampa Bay Frogman

E-mail Kurt Ott

Telephone

Website Official Website

Event Information

Event Date 12 January 2020

Class

Wetsuit Yes

Charity Yes

Relay No

2014 Race Results

1. Lisa Broadfield 1:12:20.0
2. Rachel Mann 1:13:30.0
3. Danette LaFrance 1:13:49.8
4. Jennifer Perrottet 1:14:11.0
5. Amy King 1:14:11.0
6. Lisa Hertz (no wetsuit) 1:14:28.3
7. Becca Mann 1:25:03.0
8. Christine Swanson 1:26:25.0
9. Bridgette Hobart 1:27:20.2
10. Mickey Malloy 1:28:41.7

1. Thomas O'Connor 1:02:16.0
2. Matthew Getty 1:04:04.3
3. Chad Kalocinski 1:05:42.8
4. Rick Walker 1:06:09.8
5. Scott Linebaugh 1:06:24.8
6. John Doolittle 1:06:31.8
7. Tommy Schwartz 1:07:15.4
8. Thomas Anderson 1:07:55.0
9. Ray Becker 1:08:43.1
10. David Maddux 1:09:30.8

Navy SEAL Foundation