The open water polls have opened

You can vote for the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year, the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year and the 2009 Great Open Water Swims of the Year at www.thewaterisopen.com. Good luck to Riaan Schoeman whose win at the Midmar Mile was nominated for the Great Open Water Swim of the Year.



• Iam Emberson, Founder & Race Director of the www.mauichannelswim.com between the islands of Lanai and Maui (Kauai, Hawaii)

• Morty Berger, Co-Founder of the Manhattan Island Foundation (www.nycswim.org ) and Race Director for the September 2009 FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup in New York City

• Bob Placak, Founder & Race Director of the www.rcptiburonmile.com 1-mile race in San Francisco Bay (Tiburon, California)

• Neville Smith, FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee member (South Africa

• Dennis Miller, IOC Oceania and FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee member (Fiji)

• Christopher Sheean, Race Director of the www.bigshoulders.org 5K race in Lake Michigan (Chicago)

• Bill Mulliken, Founder of the www.bigshoulders.org 5K race in Lake Michigan (Chicago)

• Douglas Woodring, Founder & Race Director of The Clean Half (http://www.d2adrenaline.com ), a 15K relay race around Hong Kong Island (Hong Kong)

• Felicity Amer, Account Director for the 1-mile www.greatnorthswim.org in Lake Windermere, England (London)

• Matija Franetovich, Committee Chair of the Rottnest Channel Swim Association (www.rottnestchannelswim.com.au ), a 19K relay race in Western Australia

• Randy Nutt, Founder & Race Director of the Bonaire EcoSwim and the Bermuda Round the Sound Swim, www.AquaMoonAdventures.com (Florida)

• Ted Sheppard, Committee Chairman of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, www.waikikiroughwaterswim.com (Honolulu, Hawaii)

• Wayne Riddin, Race Director of the Midmar Mile, (South Africa)

• David Handley, Founder & Race Director of www.fijiswims.com (Sydney, Australia)

• Scott Rice, Race Director of the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series, www.oceanswim.co.nz (New Zealand)

• Emilio Casanueva, Founder of the www.santabarbarachannelswim.org& Race Director of The Big
Swim (Santa Barbara, California)

• Paul McCoy, Race Director for ocean races and swim safaris on Vanuatu and Fiji, www.pacificswims.com (Fiji)