Making and Breaking Waves

Gulp&Go Open Water Swimming

Blog Post 10

Stephen Clendenin

04/18/11

Making and Breaking Waves

            Breaking waves is like breaking new boundaries. Each stroke you take that breaks you through a wave is like breaking through some new challenge. It’s another step closer to the end goal. You feel your body climb, and then it suddenly dips back down. It is an endless see-saw motion that most people find nauseating, and somewhat scary. You have no control over the waves. But there is something you do have control over: your body.

            When first going out into an open water race, the first and last obstacle you will encounter is the breakers. That’s the point near the shore where the waves are breaking, sending splashes and plumes of white water everywhere, all around your body, creeping into your ears, mouth, and nose. It takes timing and lots of exhaling to keep yourself from choking on water. There are plenty of ways to avoid this. Firstly, there is seeking. Seeking is when the swimmer lifts their head just enough so their eyes are out of the water, watching the approaching waves. If the wave is a good distance away, then in the same motion, the swimmer swivels their head to the side and grabs a quick breath. Seeking is done throughout the swim as a way of looking where you are as well.

            When you are heading into breakers however, the best option is to take a quick dunk under the wave, and let it break overtop of you. So instead of wasting energy and fighting through the wave, you can easily slip through. Some people prefer to power through the waves because swimming above the water takes less time than going under it. But if you are like me, and prefer to not to get water-logged, going under is an easy way to work on breath control.

            Once you get past the breakers, depending on the weather, the waves should be much calmer and easier to get through by simply seeking, and breathing when a wave is not right on top of you.

            When I swim, I don’t focus a lot on strength, powering through the water like an animal. I focus on the feel. I love the feel of the calm sloshing of the waves slipping down my arms, past my side, and back across my legs in a smooth, fluent motion. If I feel sluggish, I know that my technique is off, or I could be tired. That can easily be fixed by changing up the technique and giving the mind something fresh to think about and focus on. But the feel is so important. It has taken me years of hard work and training to get to know my body. That is sometimes the hardest part. You need to be feeling each part of your body work and move along so that everything can slip through the water with ease. Know your body.

Know Your Course

Gulp&Go Open Water Swimming

Author: Stephen Clendenin

English 202, Writing About Sports

04/10/11

Blog Post #9

Know Your Course

There are over 3,000 sanctioned open water swimming clinics, camps, tours, races, and events in 158 countries. There are distances varying from a single mile, to a marathon in the water. The terrain varies from the tropical paradises of Barbados, to the frozen tundra of the arctic (popularly called ‘Polar Bear Swims’). Where there is water, people swim. Common places such as the English Channel, the Hudson River, or the Cole Classic (Australia) usually host thousands of swimmers yearly. To date, the world’s largest mass participation open water swimming event is the Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival in central Taiwan. Sun Moon Lake (Jih Yueh Tan in Taiwanese) has between 18,500 and 22,000 swimmers take on the 3.3 kilometer distance. Imagine all that white water, the flailing limbs, and perhaps even the hungrily awaiting sharks sitting at the bottom of the lake, waiting for some unfortunate soul to be lost among the mass of swimmers. I shudder to think. But truly, the likelihood of that happening is not nearly as high as the Rottnest Channel Swim. True to its name, this open water swim is a 19.2 kilometer struggle through some of the strongest currents in Western Australia. This swim is also known as having some of the most abundant amounts of marine life to deal with. In my own limited personal experience of marine life in open water swims, I think I was stung by a jellyfish in a tiny spot just under my bicep. In that same race, my friend Brad became entangled in the slimy clutches of a Portuguese Man-of-War. The PM-O-W is among the top ten most deadly jellyfish in the oceans. Its tentacles can grow up to one hundred and sixty five feet long, and are filled with venom that create whip-like welts on the skin (lasting two or three days) and can be extremely painful. Upon exiting the water, my friend Brad was immediately taken and doused with hot water, given lots of medicine to rub on his skin (it was green and looked like twice-digested algae). Not to worry though, he lived, and enjoys telling the story much more than I do. But ANYWAY, the point of that story is: always be aware of the course. Moments before getting in, the lifeguards had posted a warning, telling us that there was dangerous marine life out in the water. Now, warnings such as these may not deter the more hardened open water swimmers, but the smart ones will stay weary. Swimmers who swim the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim need to be aware that when circumnavigating Manhattan Island, they will be dealing with 28.5 miles of temperatures between sixty-four and sixty-seven degrees, various flotsam and jetsam, and who knows what else. Know the course you are getting into when you join an open water swim.

Night Swimming

Gul&Go Open Water Swimming: Blog Post 8

Stephen Clendenin

English 202, Writing About Sports

04/04/11

 Night Swimming

Open water swimming is a daring sport at times. Out in the elements, waves crashing, sea creatures swarming, freezing cold temperatures, it is enough to make one quiver at the thought. And just when it could not get any crazier, imagine doing open water swimming at night. Looking out over the horizon, all you see is the dim reflection of the moon (if it’s out) being caught by the rippling waves. The sand is significantly colder, but that is the least of your worries. The ocean is an untamed element. That is part of what makes it so mysterious and frightening. There is so much that could happen to you while you swim. Add that to the darkness of night, and it might give you chills. Night time can be like the ocean: you can’t see too far into it, and there are strange things out there that you don’t know about. Night time open water swimming is for the swimmers who are braver than most, and smarter than most. You don’t just go running into the ocean at the stroke of midnight and hope you somehow make it back to shore someplace. It takes some careful thinking and preparation.

            Mentally, it is a battle. All the fear and uncertainty that can creep into your gut and make you wimp out must be blocked by your own will power, and the knowledge of cold hard facts. Now when you think of swimming at night, you might think that it would be much colder than swimming during the day. In a way that’s true, but only out of the water. The temperature of the water generally does not change, just the air temperature. And if you’re worried about visibility, be smart and take precautions. Don’t use those nice mirrored goggles that block the sun. Get some clear goggles that are un-tinted. Oh, and of course, DON’T SWIM ALONE. The roughest part of swimming in the dark will probably be the landing. When you are coming up on shore, you want to be able to know where you are and see what you’re doing, so make sure you have someone waiting for you at your finish point with plenty of lighted markers.

            For this, know what equipment you need. Don’t be foolish and just go for it without some kind of lighted beacon. There are three types of lights you can use during the swim: pencil-shaped light-sticks (battery operated), a disc-light to place on top of your head (it has a strap, or attaches to the back of your goggles), and of course, glow sticks. And of course, DON’T SWIM ALONE.

            These are just some helpful tips and rules for people who are gearing up to swim an individual or group marathon swim. Nick Adams is a brilliant swimmer who swam the English Channel at night, and has some more facts about it on this site. Check it out before you decide to diving into the ocean after the sun has set. And for information on other awesome open water swimmers, check out the Swimtrek Guides page.