Ok. So I've been a competitive swimmer my whole life. Love the pool but not CRAZY about swimming anywhere else.
I have done 1 OW swim YEARS ago in the ocean. But that was so long ago.
Doing the CB Swim for the very first time (1 miler).
Can you give me some tips? Just anything...I am in the dark when it comes to OW!:dunno:
THANKS!!!!
A few brief thoughts from an occasional.
Get prepared for the conditions - whatever they are - that may include cold water swimming; swimming in chop, swell, tide, current; no lines to follow/low viz. etc.
Only way to do this is to get in similar environment and get used to it. Can you hook up with an OW swimmer or triathlete and do some buddy training?
One tip: if it's wavy, it's challenging to stay on course - look for the marker buoys when you are on the top of the swell, or you won't see em.
Triathlon type starts can be a huge melee. If you have to do this, ask your swimming friends to jump on you, punch you, and otherwise get in your way to get used to this! Or play some water polo! Actually its better to just stay out of the mob to the extent that you can.
Watch out for the big fish - just kidding.
Hope that's helpful
PS triathletes, who may not come from a swimming background, can find this scary and you may find some good advice on the tri web sites. They get to wear wet suits to cope with cold water - I don't know if that's allowed in your swim. If not and your swim is cold, cold tolerance needs conditioning.
A few brief thoughts from an occasional.
Get prepared for the conditions - whatever they are - that may include cold water swimming; swimming in chop, swell, tide, current; no lines to follow/low viz. etc.
Only way to do this is to get in similar environment and get used to it. Can you hook up with an OW swimmer or triathlete and do some buddy training?
One tip: if it's wavy, it's challenging to stay on course - look for the marker buoys when you are on the top of the swell, or you won't see em.
Triathlon type starts can be a huge melee. If you have to do this, ask your swimming friends to jump on you, punch you, and otherwise get in your way to get used to this! Or play some water polo! Actually its better to just stay out of the mob to the extent that you can.
Watch out for the big fish - just kidding.
Hope that's helpful
PS triathletes, who may not come from a swimming background, can find this scary and you may find some good advice on the tri web sites. They get to wear wet suits to cope with cold water - I don't know if that's allowed in your swim. If not and your swim is cold, cold tolerance needs conditioning.
