The weatherman is calling for 8-10 foot seas for Surf & Turf on the NC coast this weekend. Yikes! I think i am going anaerobic just thinking about it. How does that translate into the size of the break? This will be my first open water swim, second race overall - fun fun.
If the breakers are really that big, they’ll likely have to cancel the event. Waves that big are dangerous.
I used to run a part time scuba diving business on Lake Ontario. The dive boat I was captaining got in big rollers like that one time. Believe me, it’s not fun.
big enough waves that you should really scope it out when you get there and make an honest evaluation of your swimming ability vs the size of the waves. If you feel good about it have fun. If not then really think to yourself is the risk worth it? talk to the lifeguards get their opinions. in the end it is your choice but don’t get in way over your head in big surf and get hurt
just my .02
That’s combat swimming. Unless you are wearing full size fins, a wetsuit, a PFD and a rescue strobe and maybe even a helmet I’d skip it.
How the waves break depends on the beaches bottom profile but with 8-10 footers it doesn’t matter, you’ll get pounded! On some beaches you’ll get pounded harder than others, but you will get thrashed. Take your first open water swim on another day. If the waves are that big though, I think you’ll be having a duathlon.