Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (NP/JD)
Udupi, Apr 24: Ashton Andrade, a 15-year-old teen from Phoenix, Arizona, with ancestral roots in Udupi, Sakleshpur, and Mangaluru, has achieved a rare and remarkable feat by completing two intense open-water swims in the San Francisco Bay area. Ashton successfully swam from the infamous Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shoreline and also completed a swim beneath the full span of the Golden Gate Bridge. He accomplished this first in April 2024 at the age of 14 and again in April 2025 at 15.
Ashton is currently in the 10th grade at a local Phoenix school, where he is also part of the school swim team, athletics, and civic engagement. He has a deep passion for history.
What sets Ashton apart is his extraordinary love for swimming. Unlike most teenagers, Ashton has taken his passion to a different level by challenging himself to swim in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean rather than in a lake, river, or controlled swimming pool.
Ashton has been part of an elite group of swimmers aged between 14 and 55 years who trained during winter to face water temperatures as cold as 55°F (around 12°C). From October 2024 through February 2025, Ashton trained at Bartlett Lake in Phoenix, Arizona, along with other swimmers twice a month for about an hour each session. This rigorous training helped them acclimate to open-water swimming and prepare for the challenges of the Pacific Ocean.
The training took place during the winter months to mimic the harsh and cold conditions of the Pacific Ocean. After approximately four months of training, Ashton was mentally and physically prepared to undertake two unique swim challenges on consecutive days—April 12 and 13, 2025.
On April 12, 2025, at 5:30 am, Ashton swam 1.4 miles (2.25 km) from Alcatraz Island prison shore to the San Francisco shore, battling strong currents and frigid water temperatures. Despite feeling disoriented and tired from the waves and cold water, Ashton completed the swim and received a finisher medal from the event organizers.
The very next day, April 13, 2025, at 7:30 am, he completed another challenging swim—a 1.2-mile (1.93 km) journey beneath the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. When the waters were clear of cargo ships and whale activity, Ashton jumped into the water and swam from one end of the bridge to the other.
These swims are considered some of the most demanding in the world due to their unpredictable tides, freezing Pacific waters, and open ocean conditions. Few seasoned adult swimmers dare to attempt them, making Ashton’s back-to-back achievements at such a young age truly inspiring.
The swims Ashton completed are among the most difficult open-water swims in the United States, with bone-chilling temperatures ranging from 50 to 55°F (10–13°C), unpredictable tides, and strong ocean currents. Many seasoned adult swimmers train for months before even attempting them. For Ashton to accomplish it twice before his 16th birthday is nothing short of extraordinary. He first achieved these open-water swim challenges in April 2024 at the age of 14. His accomplishments are a source of pride for the Mangalorean community.
His performance has garnered admiration and applause from swimmers, coaches, and community members alike, not only for the physical accomplishment but also for his unwavering spirit and determination.
In Ashton's words, “Swimming is what I enjoy, and yes, open waters are scary, but once you are in the water, you just want to move forward and complete the swim. It is only the fun of swimming that matters, and achieving something like this has value for me. I want to do this five times before I get to college and get busy.”
“You are crazy to swim in the ocean. You could get lost in the wide waters. Why are you pushing your son into danger? There are sharks. It is very cold and the waves are rough.” These are the words Ashton and his parents often heard from friends and family. Despite these fears and the daunting sight of the roaring waves and vast ocean, Ashton overcame his limitations and achieved these feats twice.
Ashton is the son of Jason Andrade and Sheral Pinto and has a younger brother, Alden. His family is immensely proud of his courage, discipline, and determination. They hope his story will inspire other youth to dream big and push boundaries. His parents, originally from Udupi/Mumbai and Mangaluru, have been living in Phoenix, Arizona, for the past 15 years. Both are human resource professionals and committed parents who sacrifice a lot of their time to ensure Ashton is well-trained.
Ashton believes swimming is a ‘unique sport that not only helps save your own life but also enables you to save the lives of others’, and he encourages youngsters to overcome their fear of water. He hopes to use his summer vacation to train others in swimming.