A local high school swimmer overcame 17-foot waves and strong rip currents to finish in fourth place overall among 355 entrants in the 86th annual Oceanside Labor Day Pier Swim.
Kealan Harris, an incoming senior and 17-year-old member of the Point Loma High School swim team, fought through the massive waves, which caused 73 swimmers to quit.
In fact, Harris nearly won the event, but missed catching a wave to shore that would have carried him to the event title in the 1.1 mile challenge.
“My timing was off, and I just missed it,” he said later. “So much of these swims are just luck and timing.”
Still, Harris took second place in his 15-18 year-old male division with a time of 18:26, just seven seconds behind his age-group winner, who finished third overall.
Lifeguards had to help about 100 people out of the water, some who had bumps and bruises. Some of these started over and finished the swim.
The event, open to ages 12-70, is conducted by the Oceanside Swim Club.