For the first time in its century-long history, the La Jolla Rough Water Swim has been canceled in consecutive years.
An inside source requesting anonymity confirmed the annual La Jolla Rough Water Swim, canceled last year because of water pollution in the Cove, has been canceled again for 2017.
The annual high-profile, all-ages swim event held in September, was canceled in 2014 due to construction at the La Jolla Cove Lifeguard Station. That was the first time since 1959 that the annual swim fest, drawing 2,000 participants from all over the nation and the world, had been canceled.
The Rough Water Swim resumed in 2015, only to be canceled again last year in 2016 due to high bacteria counts in the Cove attributable to pinniped and bird waste buildup.
There are unconfirmed reports recently that bacteria levels at the Cove from water pollution have declined significantly. The County Environmental Health Department, in charge of monitoring coastal water quality, could not be reached by La Jolla Village News for further comment.
The source confirmed that the event had to be canceled again this year because the timeline to work out logistics associated with the Rough Water Swim course has lapsed. The source said possibly relocating the venue to La Jolla Shores faced a June 1 target date to iron out details, adding that deadline had already been extended three weeks, noting time now has essentially run out.
The source said the volunteer committee running the event exploring the possibility of moving its locale to the Shores this year ran into liability and other issues that couldn’t be resolved in time.
Asked to weigh-in on the situation, the 1st District office representing La Jolla commented, “Councilmember Barbara Bry is committed to protecting coastal access for swimmers and beachgoers at the Cove, and this is something she has been focused on since taking office last December. At her first meeting with the mayor, Bry recommended that city staff research and pursue viable options to improve water quality at the Cove and explore partnerships with the county and state to address the issue.  Bry has advocated for this approach in subsequent meetings with the mayor, and will continue to do so.”
Following the event’s cancellation in 2016, the Rough Water Swim’s director, Bill Perry, noted, “The safety of our swimmers has always been our primary concern. The committee feels that to subject our entrants to the Cove’s poor ocean water quality (then) would be irresponsible and contrary to the high  standards of this 100-year-old event.”
Perry noted that LJRWS has always “strived to provide a first-class aquatic event for all members of the family … We are hopefully optimistic and look forward to seeing everyone again in the near future.” 
La Jolla activist Bill Robbins, speaking for himself, pointed out the Challenged Athletes Foundation has continued to host the swim leg of its triathlon in October in  the ocean at the Cove.
“CAF has never been stopped, other than once, by lifeguard tower construction or pollution at the Cove,” Robbins said adding the CAF’s annual triathlon event went on with a bridge being erected during Cove Lifeguard Tower construction to ensure challenged athletes would not be affected while competing in the event.
Robbins said CAF has had a Plan A and Plan B, in case of continued high bacteria counts at the Cove.
“Plan A is that, if water quality is good enough, the event will stay at the Cove,” Robbins said. “Plan B is the water portion gets moved to La Jolla Shores in the event water quality does not meet safe standards.”
Robbins, who helps organize special events at the Cove, said he hoped it was not true the Rough Water Swim would be canceled again this year. But he added, if it is, “I’ll be very disappointed. It’s the first water event I worked many years ago with lifeguard Jimmy Canelli. It is the premiere event in La Jolla, by which all other water events are judged, both in terms of turnout and spirit.”
Swim cancellation during its long history has been rare. Swims over the years were canceled due to sponsorship changes (1935), a polio scare (1948) and shark sightings (1959).