Do most people wear wet suit when swimming in lakes, rivers, oceans?
Former Member
"OW swimming is more "macho," conquering the elements and so forth. There is perhaps less interest in helping weak swimmers overcome their fears, and certainly not by using wetsuits or other floaties."
As a fairly new swimmer I've found the OW community to be the most supportive, least macho group of people I've ever met! From my experience everyone has been very helpful to people of all speeds and fear levels (I've had my share of panic attacks and so have many of us). Just an observation.
my responses are in bold
But I really dislike the "triathletes do, swimmers don't" attitude. It is, pardon me for saying so, incredibly snobby. I like to think of USMS as welcoming swimmers of various ability levels and confidence.
i think you will find the OW community to be extremely welcoming and encouraging. the distinction is this: wet suits are an aid and dependance on them can be overcome by training (like that guy in the pool who never takes the pull buoy from between his legs) i (and every other OW enthusiast i know)welcome anyone and everyone to join in the fun no matter what they need to do to feel comfortable and hope that more people will join us in the cold lake with or without a wetsuit.
Part of the issue may be that there is something of a distinction between the pool and OW swim communities, though obviously there is overlap. OW swimming is more "macho," conquering the elements and so forth. There is perhaps less interest in helping weak swimmers overcome their fears, and certainly not by using wetsuits or other floaties.you are totally wrong here. many OW events are filled with people who are non-competitive swimmers. my wife (who has zero interest in swim meets) loves the atmosphere at OW events and has taken an interest in participating in a few as well. many regular participants have offered lots of encouragement.... and it has paid off.
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Mac Swimmer: Latex race type, silicon, and bubble caps are allowed for E.C and Catalina Channel swims, neoprene caps are not. Just a suit, cap, goggles and grease. Also the swim suit for men must be very brief for the EC swim. A boxer type suit for men is too long as are jammers.
See www.channelswimmingassociation.com for EC rules Go to Swim Advice on the menu and you will see swimming customes . Theres a PDF file with what suits are legal but they only show the silicon cap there as there pics came from a single catalog or two. Their rule states that only a single standard type swim cap can be used (no neoprene or anything covering the neck or shoulders) and the official observer must approve any swim suit and cap worn.
Do what you need to do to participate and be safe and enjoy the event. If that means you wear a wetsuit, fine.
If the race allows wetsuits and someone not wearing one gets bumped from awards, tough - the rules were clear going in. If the race doesn't allow wetsuits, but you wear one and don't qualify for an award, again, tough and for the same reason.
The wetsuit people can wallow in their awards and the non-wetsuit people (me) can wallow in their moral superiority. A win-win.
-LBJ
Then why do big guys with a paunch--made of "muscle"--seem to kick my butt every time??? Sometimes the greatest open water swimmers can look the least athletic in the crowd.
I have said it before. In OW swimming I agree that wetsuit or not , all swimmers should be welcome. Thats how a sport grows. There should be two classes wetsuit and non wetsuit. Many swim events already do this. Yes its harder to finish without a wetsuit and thus the non wetsuit swimmers can hold their heads high for that. And the wetsuit people can do the same ..
Yep. same for pool meets, there should be tech suit and non-tech suit divisions, because it makes everyone feel welcome and increases participation. :agree:
