Agoura teen swims Alcatraz channel

ATHLETE—Thirteen-year-old Carlie Jansen is the fastest female swimming in the 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to the Aquatic Park in San Francisco Bay. The Lindero Canyon School eighthgrader participated in the swim two years in a row. Carlie Jansen, 13, of Agoura Hills, recently completed in the 2008 Alcatraz Invitation Swim, where participants are dropped off at Alcatraz Island and swim back approximately 1.5 miles to the shore at Aquatic Park in the San Francisco Bay.

Out of the approximately 600 swimmers in the event, Carlie took fifth place in the Women Under Age 19 category and was the fastest female swimmer for her age. She also placed 92nd overall out of all swimmers.

This is the second year that Carlie, an eighth-grader at Lindero Canyon Middle School, has participated in the event. Last year she had a companion during her swim.

"About halfway to shore I saw a black shape in the water beneath me," Carlie said. "At first I thought it was someone in a wetsuit until my hand brushed against its slimy skin." A seal swam with her for a few minutes and left.

This year the water was 63 degrees and choppy.

Alcatraz is a small island in the middle of San Francisco Bay that housed a prison from the 1800s to 1963. Due to the cold, strong, hazardous currents of the bay, Alcatraz was known for its isolation.

This years' swim was the 13th annual competition hosted by the South End Rowing Club of San Francisco.