Udupi: At just 15 years old, Ashton Andrade, a young swimmer from Phoenix, Arizona with roots in Udupi, Sakleshpur, and Mangaluru, has pulled off an extraordinary achievement. He completed two daring open-water swims in the San Francisco Bay—from the notorious Alcatraz Island to the mainland and under the full stretch of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Ashton first accomplished these swims in April 2024 at age 14, and repeated the feat in April 2025, aged 15. A 10th-grade student and member of his school’s swim and athletics teams, Ashton also takes part in civic programs and is passionate about history.
Unlike many his age, Ashton chose to challenge himself in the chilly Pacific waters, swimming in unpredictable ocean conditions rather than pools or calm lakes. He was part of a select group aged 14 to 55 who trained in Bartlett Lake during Arizona’s winter months to prepare for the frigid ocean, practicing twice monthly between October and February in water as cold as 55°F (12°C).
On April 12, he swam 1.4 miles from Alcatraz, facing strong currents and freezing waters. The next day, he tackled a 1.2-mile swim beneath the Golden Gate, dodging cargo ships and battling waves.
These swims are considered some of the toughest in America. For a teenager to complete them twice is a remarkable demonstration of grit and endurance.
Ashton’s parents, Jason Andrade and Sheral Pinto, are proud of their son’s resilience. Ashton now dreams of helping other kids conquer water fears and hopes to complete five ocean swims before college.
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