Welcome Freeswimmers.... Please Join us in our open water swims and sign our "wall of fame" when you have successfully completed your swim  See our FAQ section on the "AQUATICA wall of fame"

We have been doing informal open water swims since 1989 at Lucky and Jacquie Meisenheimers' estate (AQUATICA) on lake Cane .

The following are the Guidelines for the swims:

Who: Anyone can do the AQUATICA 1K swim but please consider these points before you attempt a swim.

1. There are no lifeguards or rescue boats you swim at your own risk.           

2. Even if others are swimming with you they may not be able to see or help you if you get in trouble.            

3. There are no walls or lane lines to hang on to and the water is deep. "Saying I think I can make it before your swim does not cut it... you must know you can make it before you start"            .

4. Kids can swim but they must have their parents permission, all kids 12 and under must swim with a chaperone.      

5. Although we usually do not swim when there are boats and/or jet skiers out sometimes they may appear during the swim.           

6. There are live animals in the lake.

7. If you have medical conditions, heart disease, asthma, prone to cramps, fainting episodes, out of shape...you could die...open water swimming has extreme risks for those that are not comfortable in the water...being 200 meters off shore and realizing that this was a bad idea is too late.

8. We don't do "check out swims" before you swim... know that you can make it. If you think you can make it don't even try, come back when you know you can make it.

9. Swimming with a floatation devise (pull buoy, wet suit, towed swim noodle) is encouraged.

When: Typically Monday-Friday at 6:30 am and Sat. 8:00am .....see schedule above

Where: 6645 Lake Cane Drive click here for directions and Map Latitude 28.48323 Longitude -81.47434         

Distance: One Kilometer round trip over and back

Temp: May-Sept .....80s   Oct - Nov.... 70s  Dec-Feb.....60s March-April ...70s   The current records for when we have swam- warm water temp 90.1  Aug 14, 2007 cold water temp 60.1, Feb 14, 2006

Water Visibility:  usually 5 to 8 feet

Water Depth: 3 ½ fathoms

Pollution Levels: Listed in 2002 as one of the 10 cleanest lakes in Orange County.

What to wear:  Any equipment is allowed and encouraged that makes your swim more enjoyable and safer...Wetsuits, pull buoys, fins, paddles are all ok.

Contact Info:  Lucky Meisenheimer   Work 407-352-2444  email LuckyJ@MSN.com

FAQs AQUATICA 1K Swim

1. Are there Alligators in the Lake?  There have been 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 do an open water swim you enter the food chain.

2. 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.

3. What do you think is the biggest 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.

4. Is there a Lake Cane Monster? That's what some of the lake locals say. Some swimmers have said they have felt the presence of the monster when they were swimming. More on the Monster click here.

5. 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 .

6. May I bring a friend? Sure, if they want to sit and watch fine, if they want to swim great, but don't pressure anyone to do the swim if they are not sure of their capabilities.

7. I there a place to change? Yes we have a bathroom and changing room for guests.  We also have three outside showers with hot and cold water.

8. Can I do the swim at any time?  Unfortunately no.  Please plan your swims for the times listed above only. There are many that 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.

9. 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.

10. Where do I park?  If the driveway is full, parking on the grass in the front lawn is fine.

11. Is there a fee? No, the best things in life are free.

12. Which swims have the biggest numbers? Saturday Mornings during the spring and summer have the highest attendance usually 25-60 swimmers, daily morning swims typically 6-10.  The most swimmers we have had in one session is 130.

13. How many crossings do you do? You only need one round trip (over and back) to sign the wall of fame, but some better swimmers do two round trips (2K) on the weekday swims and some do 3 or 4 on the Saturday swims. Most do just one round trip crossing and this is fine.

14. How long does is 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.  The fastest single crossing (one way not round trip) is 6 min 8 sec by Seb Neumayer (age 19) for masters over 40, 6min 14secs by Lucky.

15. What is the most crossings done at one time? 82....yes you read that right eighty-two, which also happens to be the world record for the longest swim in a lake done by Yuko in Oct/2007.

16. Who has done the most crossings? Lucky has done well over 5000 and many other swimmers are in the hundreds.

17. What months do you do the swims?  Since 2005 we have been swimming year round.

18. What is a Freeswimmer? Click here for a definition of a freeswimmer

19. Can I buy the patch shown at the top of the page? No, we give the patch out when you sign the wall.

20. 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 clothing to a lake swim.

21. My name is on the wall of fame, do I get a patch? Sorry no, not until you swim the lake again.  There is no grandfathering in for the patch or to sign the wall.

22. How much does the Aquatica 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. 

23. Do I have to do all 100 K 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.

24. If I do the 100K can I get an extra cap for my 3 year old nephew? Yes, just as soon as he swims the 100K.

25. I have swam 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.

26. What happens if I lose my form? You start over.

27. 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.

28. Is there an age limit on who can swim?  No, our oldest first time male swimmer was Geno Augustin Age 73 and our oldest first time female was Alice Meisenheimer Age 68. Our youngest were Jake and John Meisenheimer Ages 6 and 9 and youngest female Brandy Ehmke age 8. 

29. How do I get the cool T-Shirt? You must swim 200 crossings...better get started.

30. If I see an alligator during the swim what do I do?  Swim faster than the guy next to you.

31. Can I bring and swim with a knife? Sure, Lucky's not going to lend you his.

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. What do the different color racing caps mean? White 25 crossings, Yellow 150 crossings, Silver 500 crossings.

Open Water Swims

with Team Orlando

Masters Swimming