Sorry I don't have any info on it for you. But I would like to attempt this in the next few years. Out of curiosity, what kind of swim volume are you putting out per week training for this?

I will say Fort Desoto is great. I've done a few (very hot, summer) triathlons in the park. The water is usually calm there... but in October, it may be slightly different although I can imagine it would get nuts.

A girl at my local Y did it last year or year before. Her dad manned the support kayak. She said it was fun. I might do a relay with a buddy this year.

I did it last year after Kona and was in sub-par swim shape as I had only been preparing for the Ironman swim distance and pretty much did zero workouts after Kona.
That being said, as long as the conditions are calm, you should be ok w/ 12k+ training/week.

The Desoto swim last year was nice and easy until you made the final turn east towards the finish (2+ miles to go). There was a stiff headwind that created the type of sea-chop that makes swimming very unpleasant. Basically gulping sea water every time you try to breathe. It was rough enough to capsize my kayaker so I had a jetski escort me the rest of the way. There is a HUGE flagpole by the finish that makes you think you are closer to finishing that you really are (30 min later it barely feels like you've made any progress).

All in all its a good swim and well organized. You'll have to swim through a few random bunches of hydrilla and other seaweed for the first mile or so. There are also some very shallow spots on the west side of the swim when you are headed south. If the winds are light, then it will be a very enjoyable experience.

Aside: Watch out for fire-ant nests at the kayak staging area where they start. There are also a LOT of sand-spurs around the beach where you finish, have foot-protection nearby if possible.

Good luck!

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I do a periodization build, much like I might do for a marathon. Longest weeks will be 22k or so. I've also been putting in some long ows- so far have a couple 5 milers and a 10+ k last weekend. There's a group of us here in Louisville that get together every couple weeks for a long ows in the river. We're possibly looking at a 7 miler Labor Day weekend.

The RD said there would be a bit of a push on the first section going out and a push on the final section going back in. I'm hoping that's the case

Was notified by the RD that the race was cancelled due to lack of enough entrants. :( This was my "A" race for the summer. What do you do with all that training and need a to spend a week at the beach? You do Swim the Loop in Wrightsville Beach, NC http://www.swimtheloop.com/ Did it last year. Shorter but still a fun race.

As an alternative, there is an annual 8 mile swim across Tampa Bay on 5 Nov. It goes from Clearwater to Tampa along the Courtney Campbell Causeway, is limited to 20 swimmers and per the RD/coach it may sell out this year. Contact BFloydPres@aol.com if interested.

That sucks man. Hope you find a suitable alternate.