The Austin Water Moccasins
By Steve Frost
I’m the self-appointed spokesperson for the Austin Water Moccasins, a Pretend Swim Club. You might have seen our caps…many Friends of Deep Eddy are also members of the Austin Water Moccasins.
the real start of the Pretend Swim Club
We originated as a joke, and strive to stay true to our origins. It started when seven of us went on a field trip to swim in the San Marcos River. When we got there, I remembered that Charly Privert had told me he’d recently seen two water moccasins in that same stretch of river. One of our members, Heidi Armstrong, has a huge fear of snakes, especially in the water, so I felt compelled to tell her what Charly had seen. Nevertheless we all got in, swimming in a line to draft each other against the strong current. A bystander yelled to us, "Are you guys a swim club?"
Joe Spann, another original member, shouted back, "Yes, we are the Austin Water Moccasins." Later that year, Joe had caps made for us, and the tradition began. The cap design has improved over the years…the snake on our original caps looked like an earthworm. This year’s style is a blue cap with a Moccasin strangling the Capitol building, with a jester statue at the top.
The 2024 edition of our official swim cap.
Only 100 caps are made each year. They are not for sale. Show up for our Snakesgiving swim to get one for free!
What we ask of members: nothing!
As a Pretend Club, we ask nothing of our members…no dues, no meetings, no responsibilities. However we do prefer that those wearing our caps be well-behaved and courteous to others in the pool. We have two formal swims every year. The first is Snakesgiving, when new caps are usually distributed. Snakesgiving falls on Thanksgiving Day, at Barton Springs, the only pool open for swimming on Thanksgiving. We do the same thing on Christmas Day.
While we are a Pretend Club, we sometimes do things as if we’re a real club. During COVID, our tee shirt guy, Joe, made replicas of 1980’s era Barton Springs tee shirts. Proceeds from those tee shirts subsidized the gifting of over 100 tee shirts to aquatics guards and staff. Aquatics staff still get an at cost discount.
We are a Bi-Poolar organization.
Originally we were mainly Barton swimmers, but over the years, many of us have made Deep Eddy our primary pool. As Sarah Searight (FODE member and Moccasin) would say, we are Bi-Poolar.
Don’t look for us online
The Austin Water Moccasins are not political. We do not even respond to existential threats. We are devoted to aquatic fun, and don't want to hear about your politics or causes. Until this moment, we have completely avoided any Internet presence. You can look for us, but we are invisible. No website, hardly any Facebook posts. We are totally opposed to social media. If you want to be a Moccasin, you have to be invited through personal referal. To qualify, you must be breathing and have an interest in water. If you are funny and easy going, so much the better. We currently have 121 members, and would love to reduce that. If you are already a member who wishes to quit, please contact me.