Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:52:39 GMT

My favorite, the Grand Caymans....years ago swam in 10 ft deep water, swear I could make out the grains of sand.. water very salty, thus much bouyancy, natures version of the banned suits. Around Indiana, cant see much more than 3 feet....

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

srcoyote — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:50:41 GMT

I saw an old truck axle in 15-20 feet deep water at meydenbauer beach park in Bellevue, WA. I know lake washington used to be badly polluted, and although it has been cleaned up a lot there are still reminders like this. I can't figure out how the heck it got there. It's way too far from shore to have been dumped from shore. The only thing I can figure is it was dumped from a large boat or barge or from a dock or pier which no longer exists. In the second of the Columbus open water swims at Antrim Park, a tractor tire is visible in about 6 feet deep water at least 30 yards from the shore. I've wondered how it got there. Man-made lake may mean it was from the equipment to set up the flood area, though.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

orca1946 — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:36:21 GMT

IN one of the chicago tri's I saw the old pier posts under water. It spooked lots of pool swimmers!!

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:55:03 GMT

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:13:38 GMT

Be careful, could you be stuck with the seaweed?

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:39:32 GMT

I hated it when I ran into waterweeds. I did not like it when swimming in the Ocean when I came accross Poncho the 14 foot crocodile in the bay that I swim in.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

srcoyote — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:18:57 GMT

Pensacola, Fla., swim from May 25: must have had nice underwater views! Did anybody swim it and see anything? I had originally planned on doing that swim, but had to cancel due to a family commitment here in Ohio. I will do it next year when they add the first double-crossing of the bay for a 10K swim. Having lived there for a number of years through high school and about 8 years after college, I've swum in many places in the area. This swim is across the large bay along a bridge. The water visibility in this body of water is more like a lake -- about 5 feet -- so there won't be much to see. Swimming out in the gulf is a different story, but then I always had mixed emotions about the visibility I had swimming there. Ignorance is bliss.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Stevepowell — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:40:24 GMT

Ron those are leopard sharks! Tigers are scarier and not around here! Try swimming over the canyon (towards B and beyond) on a clear day like today & watch the bottom drop out from under you, it makes for some weird vertigo! Off of Andros in the Bahamas is a canyon called TOTO for Toungue of The Ocean. When I swam over the edge of the several thousand foot canyon my imagination conjured up a feeling of danger even though I was swimming on the surface just the same as a few seconds ago over bright shallow bottom.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:53:41 GMT

swam in santa cruz yesterday. it was my first time swimming through kelp! what was fascinating to me was the fact that the water was clear, but it was impossible to tell how deep it was until i came upon these majestic stalks disappearing into the depths. beautiful and surreal, but no, i couldn't see the bottom. i've got to figure out a way to move out here. anyone need a house boy.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:10:27 GMT

Found this interesting thread! Has anyone found treasures at the bottom of the sea? Like around the Titanic? :rolleyes: Or perhaps something from a battle in a distant past? Do sea animals have hearing?

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:29:27 GMT

Last year, in my first OW group workout of the season, I was in a part of Lake Erie that was 5-6 feet deep and saw some plants (huge clumps of algae, I'm guessing) and some tiny brown-colored fish (maybe minnows?). I'd never seen the bottom before, so I found it fascinating and extremely distracting. After two collisions with other swimmers, I figured out how to watch out for other swimmers while stealing glances at the fish.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

ViveBene — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:38:04 GMT

Today the Chicago lap of Swim Across America was cancelled pursuant to bad weather. I had forgotten all about it so showed up at the meet site intending to do a regular morning swim, and did it. The waves got a bit higher, making everything interesting. I saw the patch of kelp/whatever where the catfish hang out nearshore and play. VB

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:00:03 GMT

Although not in the Ocean we watched TV direct from the Vancouver Aquarium for a couple of hours and watched this happening. It brought tears to my eyes. www.youtube.com/watch

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:02:47 GMT

"In some places the sea-water was so clear that I could still see my watch, after I dropped it, resting on the sandy bottom, at a depth of 60-70ft (approx. 20mt). It was such a fun dive to pick it up again!" Wow,......I enjoy staying between the water and the atmosphere. But I have always figured that if I were to make journeys to the depths,..the limit would be the distance I can swim underwater and parallel to the surface. The Ocean is grand,..but has ( as someone here so aptly said) no conscience.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:57:29 GMT

Hello all, Being able to see all the way down to the bottom is probably the most fascinating experience to me. Besides open water swimming I am an apnea diver (=trying to stay under water without a breathing device as long as possible). Neither among OW-swimmers nor among apnea divers it is easy to find a lot of people who consciously enjoy looking down as deep as they can. I am not exaggerating: In a few isolated places, such as on the Maldives, in Greece, in the Red Sea or in Croatia I was able to see beyond a depth of 100ft/ 30mt. Admittedly, in order to see this, I was snorkelling with a diving mask instead of swimming with a pair of goggles. I used to take a 2-lb-piece of weight made out of lead, wrapped a white plastic bag around it (to reflect the light) and tied it to a calibrated line. Sometimes, after lowering the weight down to the bottom as far as 100ft/30mt, I still had eye contact to the weight. You can make the same experiment with a rock or with a bottle that is filled up with sand. Just make sure that You place some markers (or tie some knots) on the rope in regular intervals, so You can always measure the depth. In some places the sea-water was so clear that I could still see my watch, after I dropped it, resting on the sandy bottom, at a depth of 60-70ft (approx. 20mt). It was such a fun dive to pick it up again! But even when I swim with my goggles in Croatia (when they are not fogged :)) I may be able to see a sandy bottom 40-50 feet below me. enjoy you open water swims to the max Gerald

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

ViveBene — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:36:46 GMT

Last year's sandy beach off the Point in Chicago is now gone, all pebbles, rocks, and old slabs uncovered where 4-6 inches of sand was ripped out by lake currents. But Ohio Street Beach now has a soft, sandy nearshore treadway where last year it was pebbly and hard on the feet. Pensacola, Fla., swim from May 25: must have had nice underwater views! Did anybody swim it and see anything? Looking forward to the Chesapeake Bay swimmers' trip reports from next weekend! :fish2: Regards, VB

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

ViveBene — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:24:36 GMT

End-of-April walks along the shore of southern L. Michigan brought me in contact with some swimmers who had taken advantage of a warmish day to "go swimming" (does a minute count?) and fisherman angling for lake salmon. The buoys are out, beaches were groomed over the weekend, volunteers picking up trash. I felt like doing a 10-meter handstand dive off the jetty into the lake but limited myself to sinking digits into the water. Maybe this week.... :) The bottom is considerably lower than last fall, as wave action moved a LOT of sand. VB

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:18:59 GMT

Part of the fat salmon race in seattle goes through a relatively shallow spot, I'd guess 15-20 feet deep, where you can see the bottom. Lots of milfoil (aquatic weed) in that area.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:13:33 GMT

This sounds like an NPR geography quiz. Where were you? New England, especially northern New England, still has big heaps o' snow; folks are practicing their cramponing and routefinding skills on top of the snowbanks! A 4-meter swim? You stretched out your length, then folded back up? Or was that the vertical dip component? Sounds frightful. VB It was Blue Mountain Lake in Up-State NY (in the Adirondacks). At the dock they had a little underwater fan to keep the ice from crushing the dock. The air temp was 26 with a nice steady breeze so the water felt warmer than the air. It was it straight down up off and scamper out then try and towel off and get clothes on while shivering wildly. Rather comical in all.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:04:40 GMT

great question. I posted recently while actually in BVI on swimvacation. I saw anchors,tarpon,conch, coral( very healthy), coral fish too numerous to name, barracuda( cool to see but water so clear they just hovered and look at you no agression),green turtles,rays,rock walls (some you swam between) and snorklers. Too be able to combine an open water swim and basically a snorkling dive, if you saw something interesting you were encouraged to investigate and include others, I couldn't ask for anything more. I actually hoped to see a nurse shark, most common in BVI and harmless, but didn't.Finally, probably millions of silversides, low man on the eating chain, pelicans, jack,mackeral, tarpon, fish bats, and I'm sure more; fed on these daily.If you want to see the bottom and interesting things, check out swimvacation. I said it before, but it fits into this thread perfectly.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:33:13 GMT

When I trained at Van Wagners beach in Lake Ontario we would swim a little ways off shore. We would see the ribs of a sunken wooden ship. In December, the schooner ALBERT of Detroit, was driven ashore at Van Wagner's Beach. At daybreak the following morning, a local farmer sighted the ice-covered wreck with seas crashing over her. Mounting his horse, he spread the alarm and Col. Van Wagner took charge of the rescue operation which was accomplished by two men pushing a small boat along planks, laid on the heaving shore ice, until it floated. Each time that two of the schooner's crew got into the boat, it was pulled back to shore by the farmers and fishermen gathered there. In this way, all hands were saved. I believe it sank in 1876??? As for wild life we would go to Hanrahan's Bar they advertised 60 strippers.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Former Member — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:38:59 GMT

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

Rykno — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:15:38 GMT

I did 3 open water races last yr. 1 river, 1 around the state house in Stockholm and the state house in Copenhagen. The only one I could see anything under water was the one in Denmark. since it was in channels the depth varied, sometimes I couldn't see anything, other times I saw bikes, cans, bottles, one shopping cart, orange traffic cones, and random trash.

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

ViveBene — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:22:40 GMT

I jus did an polar bear plunge in an iced over lake. I could clearly see the bottom, but not much wild life. Then again I wasn't in the water long! It is in my log book as a 4m swim! You :canada:probable don't thinks its much, but I'm a Floridian! :thhbbb: This sounds like an NPR geography quiz. Where were you? New England, especially northern New England, still has big heaps o' snow; folks are practicing their cramponing and routefinding skills on top of the snowbanks! A 4-meter swim? You stretched out your length, then folded back up? Or was that the vertical dip component? Sounds frightful. VB

RE: Can You See the Bottom? See Anything Interesting?

ViveBene — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:16:58 GMT

In Chicago triathlons, I have seen the old wooden pier posts that scare most pool swimmers a lot! I've seen something -- post walls -- in the little bay just south of Adler Planetarium. They are scary when the water is low and you aren't expecting them! Where else have you seen old pier posts? VB