The waters between North Beach and Alcatraz are not shark infested, as urban legends would have you believe. Most sharks can't live in the bay's fresh water, as their fatty livers aren't functionally flotational without salination.
Each year, this small population of around 300 adults returns in the fall to our National Marine Sanctuary during Sharktober. Several events of tagged white sharks have been documented passing through the Golden Gate swimming along the waterfront and circling past Alcatraz before leaving again.
Swimming from Alcatraz is one of the most famous, desirable, and enjoyable open water swims (wild swim) in the entire world. Despite lore that swimming from Alcatraz is dangerous, for experienced swimmers with proper support, swimming from Alcatraz can be safe and fun.
Jim Zinger told himself after swimming from Alcatraz Island to mainland San Francisco 12 years ago that he would never attempt the feat again. However, when a friend asked if he might make the roughly two-mile crossing a second time as an early birthday gift to himself, he had to give it a go.
The bay is actually only as deep as a swimming pool.
Heck, between Hayward and San Mateo to San Jose it averages 12 to 36 inches. So much for that bridge! With that said though, the water surrounding Alcatraz is on the deeper end of the scale, but still, it's just an average depth of 43 feet.
It was also created to be escape-proof. Due to the security of the prison facility itself, the distance from shore, cold water, and strong currents, few dared to attempt to escape.
(Alcatraz opened as a national recreation area in 1973, a decade after it transferred its last inmate.) Fewer than 600 people can stay overnight each year. Only nonprofits are allowed the privilege, and spots are given out via lottery. Typically Alcatraz hosts young scout troops.
What is this? The biography of Al Capone continues in January of 1939, when he was transferred out of Alcatraz. He was moved to another facility and then paroled at the end of the year.
Water temperatures can be as low as 48°F but usually vary between 49-56°F, so check out our tips on getting acclimatized to cold water and preferably attend some winter clinics and swims. This is not the time to try out cold water swimming for the first time!
The three men in question are convicted bank robber Frank Morris, John Anglin and his brother Clarence Anglin. On June 11, 1962, the trio successfully escaped the maximum security prison after posing fake heads in their beds that were pushed through holes of a concrete wall.
In the 1930s, Alcatraz was already a forbidding place, surrounded by the cold, rough waters of the Pacific. The redesign included tougher iron bars, a series of strategically positioned guard towers, and strict rules, including a dozen checks a day of the prisoners. Escape seemed near impossible.
Pictures Inside Alcatraz
Yes, can take pictures everywhere within Alcatraz. There are no restrictions on taking photographs as long as you are in an area open to the public. Make sure to look out the windows because you can get some great photos of places on the island that are not open to the public.
A trip to Alcatraz Island is only possible by purchasing a ferry ticket to the island. The National Park Service has jurisdiction over the island, so you'll find park guides available to help you explore the island. It's a mostly self-guided tour, but there are also several tour options available throughout the day.
Eventually, they killed the three remaining men, Cretzer, Hubbard and Coy, the ringleader. Two prison guards were killed in the battle, with 14 more wounded. Two of the prisoners who gave up after the lock to the yard door was broken, Shockley and Thompson, were executed in a gas chamber for their role in the attempt.
Beneath the prison's recreation yard, researchers discovered evidence of fully buried structures, ammunition magazines and tunnels. "These remains are so well preserved, and so close to the surface," study author Timothy de Smet, an archaeologist at Binghamton University, told PBS.
How many people died while at Alcatraz? There were eight people murdered by inmates on Alcatraz. Five men committed suicide, and fifteen died from natural illnesses. The Island also boasted it's own morgue but no autopsies were performed there.
Only 3 People Have Ever Escaped Alcatraz—Here's How.
Other than fog drip and winter rains, Alcatraz Island is without a source of fresh water. Historically, both the military and the federal prison had built cisterns to capture rainwater, but these fell into disrepair after the prison closed.
The 1962 escape is probably the most famous prison break in American history, and the three men involved have never been located, dead or alive.
Frank Morris, John Anglin, and his brother, Clarence Anglin have never been located since escaping the facility — which was at some point home to criminals like Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert Stroud.
A fourth man, Allen West, who also participated in the escape plot, was serving his second term at the Rock. Left behind on the night of the escape, West later told the authorities much of what is now known about the complicated scheme, and even claimed to have been the mastermind himself.
5 Torture. Punishment at Alcatraz was extreme. At the dungeon, prisoners were chained up standing in total darkness, often with no food and regular beatings. These punishments often lasted for as long as 14 days and by 1942, the dungeon was found to be unnecessarily cruel and closed.
For the slightly scary price of $666, on the 30th or 31st of October you'll get the chance to sleep exactly like a prisoner would.
Adult (18-61 years old) US$ 41.00. Junior (12-17 years old) US$ 41.00. Child (5-11 years old) US$ 25.00. Senior (62+ years old) US$ 38.65.