In
spite of several attempts at escape, no prisoners were known to have
successfully swum to freedom the same way by the time the prison was
closed in 1963.
"I could have done it again," Braxton Bilbrey said afterwards, and
added that it had been "fun", and next time he wanted to swim out to
the island, go around it and return.
Coach Joe Zemaitis, who accompanied the boy on the swim, said good
conditions had been helpful, but insisted Braxton Bilbrey was "one in
10 million" who could undertake such a challenge.
"He's a phenomenally talented swimmer - he's been swimming with my team
for a year now, and right away I could tell there was something
different about him.
"Instead of being dragged to practice, he wanted to come more, and get bigger and stronger. He's so tough, he can do it."
Braxton Bilbrey said he was inspired to attempt the feat when he saw a
magazine feature about Johnny Wilson, a nine-year-old Californian who
had also completed the swim last October.
The former jail is now a popular location for tourists and is also a quite popular swimmers' challenge.
