ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — The waters off Gandy Beach have resumed their standard winter churning without the chaotic splashing and sloshing of frog-suited swimmers. The bay soon will refill intermittently with people training for another version of the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim that will be held farther north. Since 2010, the annual event in Tampa has raised more than $4 million for the Navy SEAL Foundation. Now, it’s expanding its water wings to events in other cities.
“These swims bring a lot of support,” said Kurt Ott, chairman of the national Frogman Swim series. “People train for it. They want to participate.” This year’s Jan. 13 Tampa Bay swim sold out in less than 15 minutes. The forthcoming Boston Frogman Swim, set for June 7, still has slots open — for now.
“They sell out fast,” Ott said. “Every year, when we hand out the finishers’ medals, people want to make sure they’re in the lineup for next time.”
The project took shape in 2003, when former Navy SEAL Dan O’Shea wanted to help a youngster who dreamed of wearing the SEAL Trident. While training the Florida teen to endure cold water, O’Shea and others involved came up with a plan to swim across Tampa Bay — and to make it a fundraiser to help a wounded SEAL.
O’Shea sent an email to local SEALs, inviting them to swim the bay on the first weekend in January. In the process, the swimmers would raise money to help SEAL Lt. Dan Cnossen, who lost both legs in Afghanistan.
“I assumed five to 10 might show up,” O’Shea told the Washington Examiner. “But my email went viral, and many civilians asked if they could swim, kayak, or simply volunteer for the ‘frogman swim.'”
More than 100 people showed up to participate in some capacity. The swimmers asked people to sponsor them. The group raised more than $33,000 for Cnossen.
“We got such a good turnout we decided to do it again,” O’Shea said. “It became an annual thing.” The swim roster grew until organizers capped off the number of participants per year for safety. The waters of Tampa Bay can be rough in winter, with a strong current pulling at anyone who ventures in.
As with the first year, each swimmer collects sponsors in advance. The group overall holds pub crawls and other fundraisers.
On swim day, the “frogmen” and “frogwomen” assemble at dawn for a solemn purpose.
Each swimmer randomly is assigned a fallen SEAL, whose picture and biography are contained on a waterproof badge to be worn around the neck on a lanyard.
“The sun comes up, and the names of those killed in action since 9/11 are read aloud,” O’Shea said. Then, the watery crossings commence.
The distance spans the narrowest section of Tampa Bay — 3.1 miles. It’s not far, but the effort is challenging, said Navy veteran Chip McElhattan, an eight-time Tampa Bay Frogman Swim participant. “You have to crab for two-plus miles because otherwise, the current would push you away.”
Each swimmer has a chase kayak, Ott said. “We have a set of eyes on each person, for safety, and only so many swimmers and kayaks can fill the bay at one time.”
The effort brings perspective.
“You know the name of the SEAL you are swimming for that morning,” McElhattan said. “For that grueling swim, it gives you a chance to reflect on that sailor who gave his life. And you wonder how the family is surviving.”
The families, for their part, appreciate the swimmers.
“For these people to get out there and do it is just amazing,” said Ginny Feeks, whose 28-year-old SEAL son, Patrick Feeks, was killed in a helicopter crash near Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Aug. 16, 2012. Ginny Feeks and her husband, Tom Feeks, made a tradition of meeting swimmers coming out of the water in Tampa to place medals around their necks. “It’s heartwarming, and it’s good for us to see the support that people are willing to give and the effort people are making to remember our fallen,” Ginny Feeks said.
Ott, 54, was not a SEAL but is the son of Navy SEAL Capt. Norm Ott, whose assignments included working with the CIA in Vietnam, the Cold War, and Operation Desert Storm.
“My motivation is to carry on my dad’s legacy,” Kurt Ott said. “I want to support the community. It’s given so much. It means so much to me to let the families know that their loved ones are not forgotten.”
O’Shea remains proud of the project that started with an effort to help a kid pursue his dream.
“It is humbling to realize the impact we can make on another’s life as a mentor and ‘big brother,'” O’Shea said. “It was the catalyst for a cause that has taken care of hundreds of my fellow SEALs and countless gold star families whose son, brother, or father paid the ultimate sacrifice defending this country.”
For those who don’t swim in the official events, the group has established a virtual challenge for participants to swim and raise funds independently — for some, in the waters off Gandy Beach.
