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Open water swim encounters
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I’m trying to come to grips with my irrational fear of what can not be seen in murky waters. Does anyone have any real encounters with wildlife during an open water swim? Outside of a jellyfish sting, I’ve never actually had anything happen to me while swimming in an open body of water. That being said, as soon as my head goes under the water I worry about everything from snapping turtles to snakes. I swim in the Chesapeake Bay for the most part, so I (thankfully) don’t have to contend with sharks.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Not during a race or training but just for fun swimming...

Alligators (that was kind of cool. I touched it on the tail haha), LOTS of sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, box jellyfish, water moccasins, etc.

Only ever been tagged by the jellies and stingray. Hoping to never get tagged by the others. Welcome to Florida!
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Twinkie] [ In reply to ]
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Here in the upper Midwest we have to watch out for Otters and Musky. They are fast and can do a lot of damage.

http://www.startribune.com/...ar-duluth/162482036/
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Dolphins quite often. One got vertical and did a 360 scan just 10 feet from me. I had some juvies dart under me while swimming. Saw a 6 foot great white once. Had a big gray whale swim under me, about 5 feet beneath me. Saw a 3 foot salp. I stepped directly on a stingray's barb. We bark at seals on Seal Rock. Sometimes they jump off and swim to us and check us out. Saw a sea turtle once. That's pretty rare for one to be in Shaw's Cove. I love it out there in the ocean.

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [kaaite] [ In reply to ]
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That otter story is absolutely nuts.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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It IS otterly nuts.

I swam in the waters off St Maarten/St Martin with my fiancée. (now wife). We went pretty far out. The water was really clear and there was very little chop or current. I saw a long silver body in the water, yelled "Barracuda," and started swimming for the shore. She was so pissed that I took off swimming ahead of her.

You don't have to swim faster than a barracuda, you just have to swim faster than your fiancée.
Last edited by: 140triguy: Jul 10, 18 20:47
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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No, nothing, but thanks for reminding me....
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Not an “encounter” but had a juvenile 5-6 foot great white swim under me three weeks ago, 5 minutes into my hour ocean swim, at Torrance beach in so cal

I dive and have seen hundreds of sharks. It was doing what most every other shark I’ve ever seen doing, just swimming along doing its shark thing

At that age/size they’re after rays mostly. If it was 10 foot I wouldn’t have continued....
Last edited by: ChrisM: Jul 10, 18 8:35
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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I've encountered a few triathletes OW swimming, terrifying.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Ran into these guys a week or so back;




Last edited by: GreatScott: Jul 10, 18 8:47
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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OWS in ocean, Tasmania, Australia.

Was about 300 meters off shore, poor visibility day, could see my hand in front of my face, not much more. Although that far out you cant see the bottom anyways so *shrugs* The beach near my house is a shark sanctuary - but have never seen a shark in 30 years swimming there.

Had a long dark shape pass underneath me, far enough down that it was just a long dark shape... shark or dolphin or seal... couldnt tell. But it was big enough to have me worried so headed back to shore.

Until a pod of dolphins started swimming around me, playing.

Went from shit scared to one of the coolest experiences of my life.

Have also had a 1.5 meter diameter ray come up from the sand beneath me and leap out of the water - swimming closer to shore, around dusk... got out of the water on that occasion, it freaked me out.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [GreatScott] [ In reply to ]
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I live on a crystal clear lake in NH. Snapping turtles are ambush predators, they sit on the bottom waiting for fish to swim by. We have netted and transplanted several that have necks the size of your calf. They look like rocks, one time I was swimming over a rock reef and one swam up straight at me, scared the hell out of me.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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We were hiking in Sedona, had done an overnight and coming out we found a swimming hole. Surrounded on one side by 15 ft rock walls you could climb and jump off of. You would swim under a natural rock arch to get to a point to exit the water. I was swimming underwater and popped my head up and right in front of me was a tarantula sitting on top of the water. If a spider can look scared to the human eye, he certainly did to me, although I subsequently learned tarantulas often swim. I swam out, grabbed a stick, and reached out so he could grab hold. Brought him out and set him on the rock. He sat still for us to take a few pics, then scampered off.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [iwaters] [ In reply to ]
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iwaters wrote:
I've encountered a few triathletes OW swimming, terrifying.

Were they wearing huge goggles too? I bet that's scary.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [bluemonkeytri] [ In reply to ]
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I used to surf in South Africa (Southern Natal Coast) in the 1990s and the seas there were full of wildlife. You'd sit in the lineup staring out to sea between sets and an occasional tuna or other gamefish would jump out of the water 20 m away or once in a while a turtle would pop up, see you and duck under again sharpish. There was this one right hand pointbreak we'd surf called Mfazazana where more often than not a pod of dolphins would cruise through the lineup most days, feeding surfing and playing around. It was magic - they'd swim right past you as you sat on your board, or they'd dart down the middle of a wave as you paddled out so you'd almost duckdive into them. I always remember a glassy, well overhead day taking off on a wave and riding it 100s of metres with a couple of dolphins surfing up and down inside the wave under me as i just stood there entranced trying not to fall off onto them or lose the wave.

There were also some sharks. The locals weren't scared of them at all. I was constantly on the look out for them and quite often got out of the water spooked. I got circled a couple of times, but all this was when I was younger and dumber (and probably stoned).

Nowadays I no longer surf and I swim only in the UK, and I stay very close to the shore (unless it's a race and there's 100s of us) and I still go "what was that!?!?" every now and again even though the nearest shark is probably 1000 miles away..
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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We get some pretty massive gar in Wisconsin. Never heard of them biting a human but they're definitely not afraid of us.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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As my father once told me, "I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm afraid of what's out there in the dark." The same can be said for OW swimming. You can either worry about it and realize there isn't much you can do, or you can ignore it because there isn't much you can do.

I choose the latter.

"...the street finds its own uses for things"
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Re: Open water swim encounters [squid] [ In reply to ]
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Punched in the face by another athlete and almost lost my goggles... thats about it
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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If you do IMFL, you may get to see this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVsRtmqRWBU
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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I swim in the ocean 2-3 times per week here in Monterey for the past 13 years. I've only seen a Great White once, about 10 feet below me and it was a big one! I was 1/2 mile off shore, so nothing to do but keep swimming. There's a shark-tracking bouy close by, and it "pinged" on a tagged GW a few times that weekend, so I think it was the tagged shark I saw. Probably countless have swam underneath us over the years, but that was our only sighting.

I once got "swarmed" by dozens of huge sea lions. I saw them approaching from a distance, probably chasing a bait ball. I just stopped and waited as they went by. These beast were jumping out of the water right next to me, but none touched me. One big bull/male, stopped and gave me an evil eye, then kept swimming.

Here's a picture I took while swimming with dolphins along Carmel Beach...



Chris
*********************
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson,
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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A tampon in a local swimming pool was the scariest thing.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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I swim in the Chesapeake Bay for the most part, so I (thankfully) don’t have to contend with sharks.


As a fellow sufferer of irrational fear of sea creatures while OWS swimming or what I like to call JAWS disease. I have some bad news for you. I was going to do a OWS there a few years ago so of course I looked first.

Chesapeake Bay

"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "
Last edited by: Leddy: Jul 10, 18 10:31
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Re: Open water swim encounters [imsparticus] [ In reply to ]
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Funny you mention that, swimming in the Gulf during Ironman Florida, I saw many big, dark bodies under me. I couldn't make out what they were...I didn't want to. Also passed by many flying fish too.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [kaaite] [ In reply to ]
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kaaite wrote:
Here in the upper Midwest we have to watch out for Otters and Musky. They are fast and can do a lot of damage.

http://www.startribune.com/...ar-duluth/162482036/


the actual hell haha otters? I had to look up a Tiger Musky and those things look like Barracudas! I always thought you didnt have anything to worry about if you swam in a lake anywhere up north. Good lord haha
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Leddy] [ In reply to ]
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Fortunately, I am swimming a lot farther north than the Pax river outlet. I would shit myself if I did actually see a shark up there. I didnt want to admit this in the OP, but of all the critters that I worry about, I worry most about crabs. The kind you eat. Although, I guess that's not necessarily an exclusionary statement.

My biggest takeaway from this thread is that while a lot of people have seen wildlife.... there are actually very few true encounters. Other than an otter with a vengeance for triathletes with bad swim goggles.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Some would say you should be more worried about unexpected encounters when running:

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ead_Bodies_P2736221/
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Last edited by: windschatten: Jul 10, 18 13:57
Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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I got chased by a swan during the Cap2k swim in Austin this year. I passed about 3 yards away from it and it decided I was encroaching its turf and gave chase. I actually didn't think I would outrun it. I know they are mean, but also didn't think it could do much damage, doubt it would have gone deep if I submerged. This same bird will attack and harass people on the trail that goes around this lake.

-----
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Re: Open water swim encounters [windschatten] [ In reply to ]
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Well if we are talking about actual encounters and not including open water swims - then heck ya. Surfing in Florida haha

- Ive gotten rammed by a 5 foot blacktip/bullshark - didnt see it well just a ton of splashing while it occured while in waist deep water walking out to surf. Knocked me over.

- I was sitting on a longboard on a clear water day which is unusual for central florida and it was maybe thigh high. small mellow day. Some old hawaiian guy goes " hey brah, you might wanna lift yah legs" and pointed to my left and here comes a 6 foot blacktip slowly cruising on the surface straight toward me. slipped underwater about 6 feet from me, swam inches below my board, surfaced on the other side and kept slowly swimming.

- I was in Hatteras and the water was crystal clear. We kept seeing a shark fin in the distance but didnt pay it any mind. A bit later I was turning to take off and my buddy points in the water next to me and is sheet white. Absolutely pale death white. I stopped and looked and about 3 feet away is a HUGE open mouth of a 8-10 tiger shark. I had a fair bit of time to go "well I can't get out of this and this is really going to suck" but it just turned sharply away at the last minute. I was Jesus and walked on water that day. I have yet to go back and surf that place. It was off Avon fishing pier.

- Anytime we release a fish in the Everglades after we catch one - we DO NOT put our hand in the water. A few times a nice 5 foot bullshark came up and snatched the fish as we are releasing it.

- Been chased countless times by water moccasin in the springs

- Fell off a wake board once in the river and a HUGE alligator popped up about 15 feet away and started swimmingly hastily toward me. I would estimate it being 13 feet or bigger. I lived on that river my entire life and seen hundreds but that sucker was the biggest. Buddies put the boat between me and it and snatched me out of the water. Pretty sure I sh*t myself.

-Stepped on stingray, box jelly sting, can't count the Man-O-Wars I have been stung by. Lionfish, Fire coral, Catfish. Snakes. Spiders. Urchins. Everything in Florida wants to hurt you.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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This has always haunted me. The processed sugar content alone could kill me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MDXN7rXHt4




I had a very close encounter with a grey whale off of Huntington Beach pier years back. It'd gotten caught between sandbars evidently and was biding its time until the tide came in more. I paddled over to see what the dark object was breaking the surface intermittently, looked down and saw barnacles, then bubbles, it was coming up right under me! I paddled out of the way quickly, didn't want to get flicked by the tail. I looked toward shore and my friends were all snoozing on the beach, so nobody could see me or hear me, then looked upward at the pier and there were dozens of people yelling to me, "WHALE! WHALE!" and I said, "I KNOW, I KNOW!" :D


Have had barracuda cruising next to me in Mexico, scared the piss out of me, but they didn't bother me. Have had dolphins coming right at and then under me in the break line, scares the crap out of me until they go under and I can see they're not sharks. Lots of stingrays and jellies. When the sun sets, I try to get out of the water, just feels wrong to be out there after dark. That said, I used to surf at sunset and after dark several times per week in younger years with no problems. I think movies play with our minds, forever. :)
Last edited by: Super D: Jul 10, 18 13:11
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Aside from the beautiful sealife in tropical waters, my local waters are teeming with otters, seals, whales, dolphins, and sharks.

Personal encounters:

Otters x 9 - one showed me its teeth and charged at me and ducked under me last seconds. That was freaky

Seals x unknown - they sometimes follow us around

Whales x3. See pic below. I was NOT in the water for this one, but I have had them swim under me. LOTS of bubbles come up from those things.

Dolphins x lots. My favorite are baby dolphins

Sharks x 1, but while surfing. I caught the next wave in and yelled "SHARK!" to everybody I passed who was paddling in. Emptied the lineup.

Fellow OWS extraordinaire, Dave, meeting a Humpback a few years ago:



Hillary Trout
San Luis Obispo, CA

Your trip is short. Make the most of it.
https://www.slogoing.net/
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Lots of jellyfish, including rare stings, not from whole jellyfish but from bits of them that had been ground up by waves crashing on the rocks.

Harbor seals a number of times, they are super curious and will come close and swim right underneath. When they stare at you with those huge black eyes, it's cute but a bit spooky.

Sea otters, who have a reputation for being cantankerous, but have quickly disappeared when I've been near.

Dolphins, but never close by swimming, extremely close sailing, though.

Orcas never close by swimming or sailing so far.

Big whales, never close by swimming, but very close sailing and kayaking.

Mola Mola, decent sized one swam right under me while swimming, for a half second I thought it was a great white and it was all over, then I realized how goofy it looked.

Great white shark, just saw my first one up close, but was sailing, not swimming (thankfully!).
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Re: Open water swim encounters [squid] [ In reply to ]
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squid wrote:
I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread.
+1


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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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......about 20 years ago I was swimming alone along the shore in my own thoughts on a nice and hot summer day - and suddenly something bites my left foot!!!
Scared the shit out of me!! I kicked hard with both legs and the unknown creature let me go. I looked around and under me to find out what the hell just happened - and a few meters away a very confused cormorant broke the surface!!

If you really want to do something, you'll find a way.
If you don't, you'll find an excuse.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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I swim in the open water (ocean) regularly in the summer and have frequent encounters with marine life... from small harmless jelly fish to sharks. My usual swim spot is an aquarium. It doesn't freak me out because I just think it's a real treat to see them in the wild... I've got a background in scuba diving and snorkelling. I don't know if that or getting a guide who can explain how the ecosystems work etc. while swimming with you could help you overcome your fear...

What helps me when I spot a shark, large stingray or dolphin is I know that we can do much more harm to them than they can do to us.

My worst encounter in the open water in definitely not with fish but with other people - I've been punched in the face on several occasions by other triathletes and ocean swimmers. If I could run on water - I would do so to get away from them!
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Come do the St. Louis tri at Creve Coeur park.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC-PSvlbogg

Fortunately, this video was 2015 and the carp died off in extreme heat before the inaugural run in 2016. Then it flooded again and they came back. But, the county somehow killed them all off before 2018.
I did consider wearing a football helmet after seeing this video.

Great race, btw.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Optimal_Adrian] [ In reply to ]
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At an Xterra race I was at in Virginia some years back, the swim went around a small island/spit in the water. The lead swimmer was of course tracking close to the island and buoy for the turn and I guess upset a nesting goose ( you could imagine maybe the shotgun used to start the race had the bird agitated ) and swarmed out to attack the race leader with some aggressive pecks/bite enough that he didn't finish the race and was hauled out in one of the rescue kayaks. I don't think he was in severe danger, but it did wreck his day!

" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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In California, I've seen fish, dolphins, seals, rays, and sharks (of varying ages/sizes) many times while swimming. I once saw a grey whale swimming a few hundred meters away and the coolest experience was an octopus right underneath me!

In New York, I saw a Northern Water Snake in a lake. It was the same color as the muddy water. They are not poisonous but they are creepy and will bite if threatened.

(Formerly SoCalTricurious, now in the PNW).
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Midwest farm ponds and reservoirs with "sea weed" getting entangled in my hands, feet, or head scared me more than anything in oceans, seas, or open water river swims. Just did not like the feel of the unknown tug on me, then thinking something was going to lunge out from below for the kill. My mind was worse than nature. However, during the first of two laps on an IM swim leg off Port Elizabeth, South Africa, I head butted a light metal float covered with barnacles between my goggles and swim cap. Red blood flowed over my goggles. I repositioned myself more in the middle of the swim pack and away from the edge to build up a line of defense from any GWS that might pick up the scent.

Actually had worse encounters swimming in pools while living in Bangkok. In late spring swam in the early morning darkness in the compound pool with no lights. The frogs used the pool then for overnight orgies. I didn't like them laying eggs in the water and they didn't like me crashing in on their parties. Every so often a pissed off frog would unexpectedly ram me while doing laps and scare the piss out of me. Never saw it coming. On a different occasion and at a different pool for a race in late fall there, the bottom was covered with leaves, sticks, and whatnot. The country club personnel had not treated the pool with chlorine for who knows how long, yet we swam. I worried about getting some nasty infection only after the race instead of smartly thinking about not doing the race because of the danger the contaminated water presented. Realize you could not see your hand in front of you in the pool water on a bright sunny day. And the worse occurred pool encounter was during my first week of relocating to Bangkok from the States. While swimming in an outdoor health club pool on a Saturday morning, I had a panic attack within the first 100 meters of swimming. The pool was cloudy and I could not see my hands pulling in the water. All I could think about was an image of a drowned young women who I saw in the pool two days earlier when going there for a workout. First responders had just arrived when I showed up on Thursday morning when the pool was crystal clear and filled with sorrow. After the panic attack I took a few days off from swimming and never returned to that pool.


https://www.palmtreesahead.com/feed

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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Sometimes the danger comes from above, rather than below.


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Re: Open water swim encounters [Changpao] [ In reply to ]
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Changpao wrote:
Sometimes the danger comes from above, rather than below.


This is the worst thread ever to appear on ST.

It reminds me of Earl's cumulative case of the willies in The Far Side.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Most of the normal California experiences
Seen some whites up to about 12 feet or so off Santa Cruz
Swam with a humpback w/in 50 yds of shore in Newport
Bumped into a harbor seal body surfing at dusk in Stinson (dusk + GWS food = quick exit)
Sea Lion in Laguna blew bubbles below me into my face - OMG that raw fish belch stench was horrible, even more frightening than the fact that he snuck up underneath me at about Mach 1
Seen a 6ft Bat Ray in 6 inches of water
Got a hook cast into my foot circling the Bal Pier ( embedded nasty fish hook = fear of death)
Shared a few waves with dolphins, seriously about the best thing ever
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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All during one week of swimming during unusual weather at the NC Outer Banks.
-I kept feeling something that felt like thousands of little marbles in the water. Couldn't see anything. Until one went into my mouth. Spat out a tiny almost perfectly clear jelly. There were literally millions of tiny jellies. Bizarre feeling.
-Saw a small, maybe 8" diameter stingray swimming just above the ocean floor. I followed it and was swimming directly above it when some giant invisible mouth that was buried in the sand ate it. A very large strange looking fish I didn't recognize came out the sand. I was looking directly at it and had no idea it was there.
-Small black mass way ahead of me in the water gradually became I very large black mass. This one really scared me. I was going to change direction to get back to shore but it caught up to me. Turned out to be a huge school of little bait fish. So now I'm in some kind of bait ball and it dawned on me they may be fleeing from something bigger. Great.

Don't drown. Don't crash. Don't walk.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Had 3 small whales comes within 15 yds of us when I took surfing lessons with my younger daughter in the Outer Banks for her 16th birthday. Awesome.

3 years ago, I'm strolling the same beach. There's a guy on a paddle board with a couple of fins following him. About a 100 yards in front of me, there's a woman running and waving her hands screaming, "Shark, SHARK." When she finally gets close enough to me, I tell her, "Those are dolphin." She says, "Oh, I'm from Chicago." You can't make this stuff up.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [squid] [ In reply to ]
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squid wrote:
I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread.

+1 and I am nope-ing the eff out of here.

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Dr_Cupcake] [ In reply to ]
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Twice while doing a little ocean swimming in Florida I have come nose to nose with a manatee.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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2016 - doing Ironman North Carolina (RIP 140.6) and had an excellent prep swim a few days before in the channel at Wrightsville Beach. Got a coffee at a great place called The Workshop, run by a very nice French Canadian woman who also collects megamouth shark fossil teeth from the floor of the channel and mounts them in necklaces. My buddy and I jokingly ask whether she sees any living sharks in the channel when she dives. She looks at us like we're crazy and says, "yeah. Bull sharks. Every. Single. Time." Needless to say, this put a bit more urgency in my swim a few mornings later. Didn't see any sharks except in my mind's eye.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Optimal_Adrian] [ In reply to ]
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https://www.instagram.com/...;igshid=kqncnem416zh

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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More about the shore wildlife here. Bears and the like

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Impulse-Warp] [ In reply to ]
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Not nearly as big as a swan, but I got attached and nipped by a sea bird while OWS in the Hudson River.

Early am, nobody and nothing else around, and all of a sudden my extended hand is being bitten by something, and it HURT.
I pull it back quickly and look up to see an explosion of wings flapping in my face as said bird realizes it tried to bite off more than it could chew.
It was pretty terrifying for a few seconds there.

Also, I found out that while birds don’t have teeth (duh), they do have some fairly sharp ridges inside their beaks, which I guess helps them hold onto the fish they catch.
Those suckers hurt, I had some scratches on my fingers from that brief nip.


float , hammer , and jog

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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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I was fortunate to not encounter this one, but found it when looking for my photo. It pays to be a fast swimmer.





Hillary Trout
San Luis Obispo, CA

Your trip is short. Make the most of it.
https://www.slogoing.net/
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Alligators in Indian river off of Merritt island. They stayed away and did their own thing.

Dolphins in Kailua bay. :)

Jellyfish in the Adriatic during... not sure which race that was Venice or Pula or maybe Pescara?

Best was bumping heads dead-on with other swimmers in Kailua bay 1/2 mile off shore --- on two different occasions.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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"I swim in the Chesapeake Bay for the most part, so I (thankfully) don’t have to contend with sharks."

Are you sure about that?



https://www.chesapeakebay.net/...n_the_chesapeake_bay

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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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I've seen a seal. My worst encounter was when someone was OWS with her dog and the dog came after me.

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Twinkie] [ In reply to ]
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Twinkie wrote:
Well if we are talking about actual encounters and not including open water swims - then heck ya. Surfing in Florida haha

- Ive gotten rammed by a 5 foot blacktip/bullshark - didnt see it well just a ton of splashing while it occured while in waist deep water walking out to surf. Knocked me over.

- I was sitting on a longboard on a clear water day which is unusual for central florida and it was maybe thigh high. small mellow day. Some old hawaiian guy goes " hey brah, you might wanna lift yah legs" and pointed to my left and here comes a 6 foot blacktip slowly cruising on the surface straight toward me. slipped underwater about 6 feet from me, swam inches below my board, surfaced on the other side and kept slowly swimming.

- I was in Hatteras and the water was crystal clear. We kept seeing a shark fin in the distance but didnt pay it any mind. A bit later I was turning to take off and my buddy points in the water next to me and is sheet white. Absolutely pale death white. I stopped and looked and about 3 feet away is a HUGE open mouth of a 8-10 tiger shark. I had a fair bit of time to go "well I can't get out of this and this is really going to suck" but it just turned sharply away at the last minute. I was Jesus and walked on water that day. I have yet to go back and surf that place. It was off Avon fishing pier.

- Anytime we release a fish in the Everglades after we catch one - we DO NOT put our hand in the water. A few times a nice 5 foot bullshark came up and snatched the fish as we are releasing it.

- Been chased countless times by water moccasin in the springs

- Fell off a wake board once in the river and a HUGE alligator popped up about 15 feet away and started swimmingly hastily toward me. I would estimate it being 13 feet or bigger. I lived on that river my entire life and seen hundreds but that sucker was the biggest. Buddies put the boat between me and it and snatched me out of the water. Pretty sure I sh*t myself.

-Stepped on stingray, box jelly sting, can't count the Man-O-Wars I have been stung by. Lionfish, Fire coral, Catfish. Snakes. Spiders. Urchins. Everything in Florida wants to hurt you.


I need to get my hundred time down below 20 seconds.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [LifeTri] [ In reply to ]
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Surfing in Vanuatu, had a manatee come close to me to investigate. Pod of dolphins swam right in front of me on an OWS, I kinda heard them before I saw them. That was pretty cool.

Have surfed a week later in a spot where there was a fatal great white attack the week before. Was thinking lightning doesn't strike twice in the same spot. If I saw one on an OWS, I'd shit myself.
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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This wasn't an open water encounter but it's pretty close. I got bitten twice by a seven foot alligator that came out of a small lake the day after I did a long-ish open water swim in there. I was trying to catch the gator -- which I did, in spite of the bites -- after it came out in a homeowner's driveway. I talked about it in a thread here. There's also a photo of me with my arm in the gator's mouth:
https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...g=alligator#p6644286
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Re: Open water swim encounters [Mizzouvet] [ In reply to ]
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Sea otters, seals, sea lions and bunch of fish of one kind or another
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