2000 Stories from the Dolphin Club

It all started with a fish. A big fish. And before long, Julie Pan added free diving to her list of dopamine driven sports. To hear her describe it, free diving is equal parts pushing limits, managing fear and feeling quite Zen. Swimming in the bay scratches that itch, too. Now, after an 8-year career as a software engineer at Google, she's stopped "babysitting AI" and is looking to...

Madeleine Crow joined the Dolphin Club just three years ago, but she has dived in head first to everything -- in and on, and even off the water. From swimming to paddling to ERGing, she needed what the Bay and this community had to offer and wanted to be brave in its presence. Hear about her love for the water, the club, and her work at the San Francisco SPCA.

What do an MIT-trained computer scientist, public school teacher, non-profit professional, and reluctant cold water swimmer have in common? Get to know Ben Chun and you'll learn how head and heart and happiness unite. Ben is smart, and kind, and thoughtful, and giving -- both in his career and at the club. He believes in the endless creativity of humans and the indomitable nature of the human inte...

Rebecca Handler has one of those laughs that is truly contagious. And better yet, she's so darn funny that she gets you laughing, too. Whether chatting about the joy she gets from swimming with her brother Daniel or her very unpleasant year dealing with breast cancer, she somehow finds humor in it all. We talk about identity, becoming a writer, and how the Dolphin Club women helped her heal. M...

Like many young swimmers, William Pryor got scared when he couldn't touch the ocean floor. As an adult he found a way to understand it by combining his passion for drones and technology with art that maps the actual depths of the water. William took me out on the bay in a rowboat to chat about his fears, love of sailing, robots, and how he's found peace on the water and community at the Do...

Ryan Dalton's mind is always working. And he's got a lot to think about — parenting, partnering, writing, olfaction, neuroscience, cancer, AI, fear, swimming, beer, and a whole lot more. His mind is rarely at rest, and he finds peace only when he's in motion. Zen gardens are not for him. With all that going on inside, he is deeply concerned about staying true to his values and being in community w...

Many people come to the Dolphin Club to swim and end up staying for the people. Emily Nogue did the opposite. She joined the club following the death of her husband John Nogue to feel his presence where he felt most at home. Now, Emily has made this place her own. Emily shares stories about John, their relationship, the incredible support they received from fellow Dolphins, the Swim for Science th...

Keith Howell has traveled the world, starting in Manchester, England and eventually finding his way to San Francisco. He edited publications all along the way until he retired and took up the mantle of editing the Dolphin Log. Still in print after all these years, it's a piece of our history and a way for our entire community to stay connected. Although he's passed the torch, he's stil...

Not many Afghan refugees from their landlocked country grow up to be passionate cold water swimmers. But Humaira Ghilzai breaks all the rules. Her passions include helping to educate young girls (and boys) from her native country, writing plays, going on pilgrimages, and making body butters to keep Dolphin women well moisturized. She's lived and lives an extraordinary life and — no surprise to...

Some people set goals. Far fewer actually get them. Lauren Au Brinkmeyer does both. With speed, humility, a huge smile, and a hearty laugh. She credits the Dolphin Club community, and her extraordinary organizational skills, for helping her achieve those goals. She juggles a demanding career, two young kids, a husband who also loves to swim, and an ongoing quest to complete marathon swims, like th...

Nathaniel Berger feels most at home when he's either in or on the water. Whether swimming or leading others to safety, he's a natural born pilot and coach — both on land and water. Learn about how Dolphin Club swims are organized to keep us all safe, what he loves about wine, how he uses conflict resolution skills on the daily, and why we should be thanking his grandfather, a professional water sk...

Members of the Dolphin Club always have a lot to teach us...and swimming and boating are usually the least of it. Theresa Kolish, who has been living with ALS for three years, teaches us all with humor, honesty, and grace. Using a text to speech app since she can no longer use her voice, she talks about the disease, why she still feels lucky , what she's learned about herself and others, and how s...

Amanda Ernzer is certainly not the only Dolphin to have swum the English Channel...but in 2025 she was the fastest American to complete the feat. Amanda tells us how and why and what it took — physically, emotionally, and mentally — to succeed. No surprise, she does it with great humility and a few tears. Amanda credits her friends, family, and most of all fellow Dolphins for helping her train to...

It took Thad Carhart a long time to believe he could be a writer. He worked a whole slew of jobs from State Department interpreter to Apple marketer before he found his true love. During a self-imposed sabbatical in Paris, he wrote his first memoir, The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, and much to his surprise, it became a New York Times bestseller. Thad tells us stories of life as a military brat, wh...

Maggie Lonergan got her start swimming at night and she still prefers nocturnal swims in the bay. Only problem: the sauna isn't open late enough...and she might just love the sauna more. Hear about winning the official Sauna Squares contest, her quest for a co-ed sauna, how and why she loves piloting swimmers, what intrigues her about fires, and how she found her spirit animal.

In just a few days, on October 25th 2025, Phil Gaal will swim across the Golden Gate for the 16th time. That's a feat for anyone, of any age, but at 90, it's truly golden. Phil exudes a joy for life and endless curiosity about everything from telomeres to technology. His mental attitude and physical fitness are inspiring beyond measure.

You may know him as the Dolphin Club's manager, but John Ingle is far more than the job title. He's also a professional musician, nature lover, chef, traveler, friend, spouse, proud Dad, and I'm sure I left out a few. Working in the place where most of us go to escape work has its challenges. And John is honest about that, as well as his love of the club, its members, and swimming in the Bay...des...

Some siblings squabble. The Kirk siblings swim! And they've intentionally created a home away from home at the Dolphin Club where they can enjoy their passion for open water swimming and be together as adults in their 20s. Mackensie, Patrick, and Dominic share family stories, laugh at each other's traits, discuss what it's like to become friends vs. siblings, and what the club means to...

Some people collect marble polar bear bricks. Others like Jon Nakamura prefer belt buckles -- especially brass ones with the Escape from Alcatraz logo on them. It's an iconic race and he's an iconic, lifetime Dolphin member. Learning about how and why he swims, bikes, and runs year after year tells you more about the man than the race itself. His passion, kindness, and commitment to the club, his...

Lindsay Stripling is an artist in more ways than one. Yes, she paints and illustrates as a passion and profession. But she also is honing the art of teaching, helping college students and adults to discover their creativity and develop their practice. At the Dolphin Club, she wears a completely different hat as a volunteer (!) swim commissioner. Lindsay talks about the existential crises inherent...

We are quite a lucky bunch to have an urban swimming oasis at Aquatic Park. But there is still much of the San Francisco Bay where access is limited and swimming is forbidden. That's what Rebecca Groves is committed to changing with Swimmable San Francisco Bay, starting in her neighborhood of Dogpatch and Crane Cove. Hear why urban swimming captures her imagination and what intrigued her about The...

Ever been on Wikipedia? Got thoughts on the Dolphin Club brand? Are there spirits in the wooden boats? What are young fathers thinking about? 15 or so minutes was nowhere enough time to cover the life and loves of Zack McCune. I left the interview with a smile a mile wide as we discussed his career, rowing, film, and fatherhood.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. With photojournalist Laura Morton it may be worth a whole lot more. Laura sees the world through her view finder and tells us all captivating stories about what many of us don't see -- the hidden community of tech workers, her love of Fisherman's Wharf, and why she finds San Francisco so weird and wonderful. Hear about the joys and trials of working as...

At every opportunity, including her current job at the Bay Area Ridge Trail, Marie Sayles encourages deeper and more meaningful connections to nature -- on land or in water. She's always inspiring others to get outdoors be it to a local park, your backyard, the Criss Cross trail, the bay, or the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail, which when complete will be 550 miles long. Hear how the water clears and...

There's no such thing as a typical Dolphin Club member and Peter van der Sterre is a case in point. A recent octogenarian, Peter hung out in San Francisco during the Summer of Love before becoming a Zen Buddhist priest and general contractor. He finds the practices of sitting (meditation) and swimming very complimentary and approaches them with the same feelings of challenge and possibility. Both...