About 600 swimmers from across the country and around the world braved the choppy Chesapeake waters Sunday in the 2009 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim.

Brian Benda, 38, of Parkton, Md., won in his seventh time swimming the race, finishing in 1:34:34. Erin Luley, 20, won the female race with a time of 1:42:11. Race volunteers shouted “Congratulations!” and “Way to go, Brian!” as Benda made his way up the chute, exchanging high-fives with other well-wishers.