Malvern man to lead 80 Alcatraz swimmers for 20th annual hydrocephalus research fundraiser

On Aug. 10, Malvern resident Peter Finlayson will lead a group of 80 swimmers for the two-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco, braving the strong currents, cold water and sea lions for the 20th time.

These 80 swimmers are taking the plunge for Team Hydro’s 20th annual Alcatraz Swim for Hydrocephalus Research.

Hydrocephalus is a buildup of excess spinal fluid in the brain, and if left untreated can be fatal. It is a neurological condition that afflicts approximately 1 million Americans, for which there is no cure and the only treatments require invasive brain surgery.

Finlayson’s younger sister Kate passed away in 2010 from an infection as a result of one such surgery, after enduring about 200 of them.

“Kate lived for years in chronic pain associated with her hydrocephalus,” said Finlayson. “Despite her struggles, Kate filled the lives of those around her with hope, love, and gratitude until the day she passed. Inspired by her courage and grace, and desiring to do anything we could to help, my brother Sam and I, with the help of friends, formed Team Hydro in 2008 and swam from Alcatraz to raise money for research.”

Since 2008, Team Hydro has raised more than $1.7 million for hydrocephalus research and supported a range of research grants in the United States, Australia, Greece and Canada. More than 1,000 Alcatraz-to-San Francisco swims by Team Hydro have been completed.

The swims pose potential dangers, and a mandatory safety briefing is presented the morning of the swim before Team Hydro is ferried out to “The Rock” to ensure that the swimmers are safe from the currents, cold and marine life — particularly the currents.

“We time the swim when we can enter the bay during ‘slack tide’ — the brief period of time when the tide has finished entering the bay and reverses direction to start flowing back out under the Golden Gate Bridge,” said Finlayson. “During the safety briefing our professional planning team from Water World Swim informs us of the current tides and weather conditions — wind, choppiness, waves, etc. — and gives us our sight lines — they point us to specific buildings we need to target as we’re swimming in order to make it safely into the narrow opening of Aquatic Park. Any swimmer who misses that narrow opening will need to be scooped up by an escort boat or risk being washed out to sea.”

Finlayson mentioned that sharks do enter the bay.

“For years I had been saying there had never been a shark attack in the Bay, but now I have needed to modify that message to say that there has never been a shark attack on a human in the bay —about 10 years ago, a great white attacked a seal off of Alcatraz,” said Finlayson. “I’ve swum in almost that exact spot. So clearly sharks are around…but we’ve never had any issues. I have seen sea lions during the swim, though, and male sea lions can weigh up to 1200 pounds! I wouldn’t want to mess with one of those.”

Last year, the Malvern Prep water polo team participated in the Alcatraz swim, led by coach Jay Schiller. Malvern Prep’s 24 swimmers completed the course and raised more than $12,000 for hydrocephalus research.

Schiller said, “When you jump off a perfectly good boat next to Alcatraz Island seeing the Golden Gate Bridge on one side and Oakland Bay Bridge on the other it’s intimidating. Once you hit the water though, the shock of 57 degree water wakes you to the reality of the situation. After that your training takes over and it was like a swim at the Jersey shore. I am so proud of our 24 boys who completed the swim.”

Each Malvern Prep swimmer received a Team Hydro bracelet with the name of a child who suffered from hydrocephalus or was currently in treatment.

“When I looked at the Team Hydro bracelet I was wearing with the name ‘Haley Lynn,’ that was an extra boost for me to get going,” said Schiller.

Finlayson now helps coach the Malvern Prep water polo team.

Schiller noted, “We just had our Charity Swim Night on July 9, and two of my older swimmers, Patrick Barry and Hailey Rittenhouse, met with Peter to organize the event. My team of 120 kids ages 5-18 raised more than $6,000 that night for Team Hydro.”

Finlayson said, “I loved attending the Chester Valley Golf Club charity swim. I was so impressed by the kids — especially their interest in learning about hydrocephalus, and their desire to use their talents to make the world a better place by raising funds for research!

“The (Malvern Prep) boys really enjoyed the opportunity to complete such an iconic event together last year. I remember watching as they learned more about hydrocephalus and heard my mom speak about my sister Kate’s courage and strength as she battled the condition — there wasn’t a dry eye to be seen. Her story really resonated with them.“I loved helping to coach the Malvern Prep water polo team last fall, and enjoyed getting in the water to scrimmage with them. As I would speak to the boys to motivate them before tough games or during critical times in the season, I’d often point back to their experience with Team Hydro and remind them that they can do hard things together.”Last year’s swim raised nearly $125,000 for hydrocephalus research, and Finlayson noted that there are still a few spots available for the Aug. 10 swim, and one can register for that swim or donate at https://donate.teamhydro.org. The 2025 Alcatraz swim will be held on Aug. 9.

Finlayson noted that Team Hydro is 100 percent volunteer run and has no paid staff. His family, along with other volunteers and like-minded individuals, donate their time and support to ensure all Team Hydro expenses are underwritten, so that all donations through Team Hydro events go completely to research.

“There is no cure for hydrocephalus and the only treatments require brain surgery,” said Finlayson. “The most common surgery involves boring a hole in the skull, and inserting a catheter through the brain tissue into pockets of fluid in the brain called ventricles, a device called a shunt is then placed between the skill and the skin and the fluid is drained through a tube into the abdomen where it can be reabsorbed.

“Unfortunately, about 50% of the shunts fail within two years, requiring another brain surgery in order to repair or replace the malfunctioning shunt. Some patients require hundreds of brain surgeries in order to treat their hydrocephalus.”

Team Hydro gives small seed grants to help attract promising researchers into the space. They have funded a dozen research projects on three continents, which together have already identified several new potential therapies and secured a 20x multiplier in follow-up funding from government agencies.

“People can be born with hydrocephalus, or get it after brain cancer or head injuries,” said Finlayson. “There is also a debilitating form of hydrocephalus which develops in adults; if caught early it can be treated with a shunt, but sadly, due to lack of awareness, the condition is often misdiagnosed as dementia and patients are left to suffer. Team Hydro seeks to raise awareness for all forms of hydrocephalus.”

Finlayson’s sister Kate developed into a fine swimmer as an elementary school student, but at the age of 10 began to suffer debilitating headaches. A trip to the neurosurgeon revealed that her shunt was not working properly, and when the surgeon removed the shunt (which had corroded and failed), Kate suffered another brain hemorrhage. A steady stream of shunt revision surgeries followed, and Kate lost most of her vision, and developed troublesome muscle spasms and tremors.

“After one of her surgeries, Kate got a brain infection and died,” said Finlayson. “She was 26 years old and going to nursing school at Saint Mary’s College in the Bay Area, hoping to become a nurse to help others.”

Eight years after Kate passed, Finlayson moved to Malvern from Danville, Calif. — his wife Nina has nearby roots, as she was a standout lacrosse and field hockey player at Radnor High School (as Nina Pantano, a Class of 2001 graduate). Nina went on to play lacrosse for Stanford University, and that’s where they met. The Finlayson couple has four sons — the oldest two are entering 7th and 6th grade at Valley Forge Middle School this fall, while the other two will be entering third grade and kindergarten at Valley Forge Elementary School.

To join a Team Hydro swim or support the cause, visit https://donate.teamhydro.org.