Lucky with our swimming mascot “Buddy” the gator.
Be sure to take a photo with “Buddy after your first swim”

FAQs Lucky’s Lake Swim

Must I sign a liability release to swim? Yes, even if you have swum the lake before without signing one. You only have to sign the release once. Click here to read the release. LIABILITY WAIVER. If you’re not scared now, you will be after you read the release. Persons swimming the lake, exiting from the Meisenheimer property, without signing the release are trespassing. We provide the waivers at the swim, but if the swimmer is under 18 and coming without a parent, please download the waiver and have the parent sign it and bring the form to the swim. Parents, do not use this as a way to solve your snarky teenager problem, we will not let them participate if they can’t swim, no matter how much you want to get rid of them.
Are there alligators in the Lake? We provide all alligators for free. There is no extra or hidden charge. You don’t have to bring your own. There have been a few in the past, and there may be some now. It would be unusual to have a large one over 5 feet, but alligators migrate and you just never know. There are also snakes, turtles, fish, etc…. When you participate in an open water swim you enter the food chain. The Moss Park Gator Man says this about swimming Lucky’s Lake Swim (The Moss Park Gator Man survived an attack of a 10ft 6in gator when training in the swimming area of Moss Park) “Comparing my experiences of the two swims I can say unequivocally that I much prefer Lucky’s Lake Swim over Moss Park.
Will a Naegleria fowleri amoeba crawl up my nose and liquefy my brain? Possibly, your relative risk is 1 out of 142,857,140 per swim. If you swim the lake on 142,857,140 consecutive days, you are totally hosed. Statistically, you are 1000 times more likely to drown than you are to die from Naegleria. Still worried, wear a nose clip. More info on Naegleria can be found at the CDC.
What do you think is the most significant risk in the swim? Not being in good enough shape to swim one Kilometer easily and/or jet skiers and boaters. We try to do swims at times boaters are not out, but occasionally a boater may appear when people are already in the water.
Is there a Lake Cane Monster? That’s what some of the lake locals say. Many swimmers had said they had felt the presence of the monster when they were swimming. More on the Monster click here.
What times do the swims start? Monday through Fridays at 6:30AM and Saturdays at 7:45AM. Please check our Facebook page and the most recent blog posts for any time changes and special events. Time changes occur mostly around holidays. For example we swim at 3AM every February 30th to celebrate Zombie Cause Day.
How late can I stay in the water? For the 6:30AM starts we expect everyone out by 7:45AM for the 7:45AM starts we expect everyone out by 9:45AM. We release the Kraken one minute after these times.
Will I be pressured to do the swim if I come just to check it out? Absolutely not! We don’t want anyone to attempt this swim unless they are sure they are physically capable of completing it. (Unless you are a politician)
May I bring a friend? Sure, if they want to sit and watch fine; if they’re going to swim great, but don’t pressure anyone to do the swim if they are not sure of their capabilities. (again, exceptions to this rule are allowed for politicians).
Is the lake heated? Yes, Solar. For instructions on how to set the lake’s solar heater thermostat to your preferred temperature setting Click Here.
Is there a place to change? Yes, have two bathroom/changing rooms for guests. We also have two outside showers with hot and cold water. You do not have to pay a fee to Tom Welch for using the bathroom, even if he sounds real convincing.
Can I do the swim at any time? Unfortunately no. Please plan your swims for the times listed above only. Many live on the lake and use it for other water sports. They have been very respectful of people swimming in the lake, but we do not want to wear out our welcome.
Can I bring my kids? Yes, but if they are young, there will not be anyone to watch them while you swim. You will need to make arrangements for supervision while you are in the water. All children in the water must be supervised by an adult. Children left unattended will be sold on eBay with a very low buy it now price.
Where do I park? If the driveway is full, parking on the grass in the front lawn is okay.
Is there a fee? No, the best things in life are free.
If I show you my YMCA card can I swim for free? No, if your show your YMCA card we will have to charge you $733, make you do three math problems of our choice, and force you to reread the answer to #15. Before you ask, your Boy’s Club card, VISA, Master Card or Playboy Club card is the same. If you have read this far and remained confused, great news, blondes swim for free, Hooray!
What is the water temp? Temp: May-Sept …..80s Oct – Nov…. 70s Dec-Feb…..60s March-April …70s The current records for when we have swam- warm water temp 90.7 July 28, 2010 cold water temp 53.1, Jan, 2010 (Swimmers, in wet suits were, Lucky, Mi, Mark, Geno, Chad) Low temp record without wet suits was 55.1.
What kind of visibility is in the lake? Visibility is typically 5 to 12 feet. Easy to see what is about to eat you.
What is the water depth? 3 1/2 fathoms Matey. Sorry I typed this on Sept 19th which is international talk like a pirate day, so if you don’t like it I’ll have to cleave you to your brisket, you scurvy dog!
Which swims have the biggest numbers? Saturday Mornings during the spring and summer have the highest attendance usually 120+ swimmers (winter 15-25), daily morning swims typically 15-40 swimmers (winter 5-15). The most swimmers we have had in one session is 474.
How many crossings do you do? You only need one round trip (over and back) to sign the wall of fame, but some skilled swimmers make two round trips (2K) on the weekday swims, and may do 3 or 4 on the Saturday swims. The majority of folks do one round trip crossing, and this is fine.
How long does it take? This, of course, depends on how fast you are and how straight you swim. The average swimmer does (including rest on the other side) in under 25 minutes round trip there are a few swimmers that may take up to 45 minutes for one crossing. The fastest single crossing over-and-back one-kilometer was done by True Sweetser with a time of 11:35.5
What are the most crossings done at one time? 83….yes you read that right eighty-three, which also happens to be the world record for the longest swim in a lake done by Yuko in 2008.
Who has done the most crossings? Lucky has done around 20,000, and other swimmers are in the thousands.
What months do you do the swims? Since 2005 we have been swimming year round.
Can I buy the patch? No, we give the patch out when you sign the wall.
What if I want more than one patch? If you attach the patch to an article of clothing, ie..hat, jacket, etc.… We will give you another patch. You just have to wear the garment with the patch on it to a lake swim.
I sold my car can I get another bumper sticker? Absolutely! Anyone that has their name on the wall-of-fame can ask for extra bumper stickers. We love seeing all the bumper stickers driving around town. If you have more than one car ask for more. A Lucky’s Lake Swim bumper sticker makes you immune from Road Rage as everyone loves Lucky’s Lake Swim.
I swam before there was a wall of fame, do I get a patch and bumper sticker? Sorry no, not until you swim the lake again. There is no grandfathering in for the patch and bumper sticker or to sign the wall.
How much does the Lucky’s Lake Swim 100K club cap cost? It is something that money can’t buy, you can’t buy an Olympic Gold medal, you can’t buy an English Channel crossing, and you most certainly can’t buy the 100k Club hat. You can earn it though by swimming 100 round-trip crossings of Lake Cane. You also get a halo of yellow around your name on the wall.
Do I have to do all 100K at once? Yes….. you loser you do…. for the rest of us just fill out the 100K record form each time you swim and turn it in once you have done 100 crossings. Ask Lucky for the form at the swim.
If I do the 100K can I get an extra cap for my 3-year-old nephew? Yes, just as soon as he swims 100K.
I have swum at least a hundred crossings in the past doesn’t this count? No grandfathering in, your counting begins the day you get the form, better start swimming.
What happens if I lose my form? You start over.
I am afraid of…..Snakes, Turtles, Gators oh my! Can I do 100K in the pool and get the hat? You have us confused with the 100K Wussy club check out your local swimming pool for that fabulous honor.
Is there an age limit on who can swim? No, our oldest first-time male swimmer is Brud Cleaveland (Age 92) Geno Augustin Age 87 is our oldest 100K club member our youngest 100K club member is Mel Nash II, age 15. Our oldest female is Mary Hayes age 85. Our youngest were Jake, Max and John Meisenheimer Ages 6, 8 and 9 and youngest female Brandy Ehmke age 8. (we are no longer listing names of younger swimmers or posting youth ages on the wall of fame – age 4 is the youngest, and we don’t want 3-year-olds out doing the swim, sorry)
How do I get the cool T-Shirt? You must swim 200 crossings…better get started.
If I see an alligator during the swim what do I do? Swim faster than the guy next to you.
Can I bring and swim with a knife? Sure, Lucky’s not going to lend you his.
Is it true that a dog is on the wall of fame? Yes, digger the dog did the swim and has his paw print on the wall. He has over 1000 crossings! Lucky’s pet duck “Duck” (R.I.P.) had over 400 crossings.
Can my dog try? Yes if he lives on lake Cane, is well trained with multiple swims, has a boat and swimming escort the entire distance, the master is in the 100K club and promises to drown himself with the dog if the dog doesn’t make it. Otherwise please don’t bring your dogs this is a human swim, and the dogs howl when we sew the patch on their fur.
What do the different color racing caps mean? White 25 crossings, Yellow 150 crossings, Silver 500 crossings, gold 1000
How do I find out about special events and time changes? Sign up for our Blog and join our Facebook page. Questions posted to the facebook page are typically answered within a few hours.
How long does it take to swim 500 crossings? Well, I’m glad you asked. Jerry Krannebitter was compulsive enough to tally his time in the water. 208.3 hours or 8.68 days. He visited the lake 174 times and averaged 2.87 crossings per visit over a period of 23 months and 7 days. He also maintains data on tooth brushing, nail trimming and hair combing which is equally as fascinating.
Thanks for Visiting Lucky’s Lake Swim

Swim Well