All of my OWSs have been in lakes and rivers. A few have been in wetsuits, which make me much more comfortable - just knowing if i need to stop, I’ll float. But I’m upping the ante next season and I want to do some 1/2s that will be in brackish or fully salt water. Given the time of year, I don’t think they will be WS legal. So the thought of a straight line out in the ocean, without the aided buoyancy of WS, has me a bit squeamish.
I know it’s easier to float in saltwater and I’ve dorked around in the ocean a lot at a kid, but I’ve never really paid attention to the aid it gives you with buoyancy. Is there any appreciable help? Is any gain negated by the chop? Lastly, is there any way to work on getting comfortable in saltwater when you’re 2.5 hours inland?
That depends. think 10% would be more accurate…but I do not mean to flame you, but, if you do not feelcomfortable swimming without a wetsuit,well???
I personally (just me) do not understand why someone would compete in a race with a swim if only comfortable in a wetsuit.
Not taken as a flame. I’ve done 2500+ in OW without a WS. I’m a decent swimmer - much more comfortable than many in my local AG, at least in OW. But our local OW is normally calm with minor current in the river, nothing like I’ve heard and ocean swim can be. I’ve liked the WS legal swims I’ve done because in those I’ve tried to get to FOP (which I normally don’t do) and when you’re getting kicked and hit, it’s nice to know if you need a second to collect yourself, the suit will give you that. I’m asking primarily because I can’t practice in an ocean environment as I live too far away. I’m planning on doing the B2B in Wilmington next year and just trying to figure out what I’m getting myself in to.
Yes, you will float more in the ocean but not as much as with a Wetsuit. Just remember, lungs full of air mean that you will float better than when they are empty. So, if you get into difficulty, role onto your back and inhale as deeply as you can (without sucking in a bunch of water). If you then breath with the top third of your lungs you’ll stay higher in the water. Try this in your pool first.
Depending upon your body composition, you may be able to float, feet down in a deep pool by using breathing. Exhale when your head is above water and inhale as soon as you start sinking getting a full breath, you’ll go under water and then rise again, as you break the surface, quickly exhale and then inhale again before going under. You may have to tilt your head back a bit. In the old days this was part of a procedure called “drown proofing”.
You’re probably a better body surfer than the rest of us, but here’s how it is for me:
When I’m swimming hard toward shore, tired and breathing deeply, and I’m looking over my shoulder for waves but really can’t see because my goggles are sort of fogged so I just keep swimming, and then something tells me there might be trouble so I actually stop and go vertical to look backward and see a big set about to hit me…
…I have a 1/2 second to decide whether to catch the wave, duck under it, or turn around and swim back toward it. And at that moment, it’s really nice to be wearing a wetsuit that puts my mouth 4 inches above the water instead of 1 inch above the water, because I need to take a really deep breath to do whatever it is I’m about to do, and the water surface isn’t exactly calm and glassy at that point.
Plus, I’ve spent way too much time submerged in river rapids to have a great love for the inability to catch a breath. So when I inevitably biff whatever is I was trying to do and get tossed around in the surf…it’s also nice to pop up to the surface a second or two faster.
In short…I’m very comfortable in open water with or without a wetsuit, but, yes, I do get more nervous swimming through surf without one.
In theory salt water no wetsuit swim is faster than fresh water no wetsuit swim. In practice, salt water no wetsuit swims in the ocean have surf and tidal currents that can make the swims a lot longer than they should be. Having said that, I swam 2 minutes faster in St. Croix (salt water) than Vegas even though St. Croix has more waves. The fastest was wetsuit in salt water…may as well be paddle boarding…Oceanside (salt water with wetsuit) was 5 minutes faster than St. Croix (salt water no wetsuit) and 7 minutes faster than Vegas (fresh water no wetsuit).
Good points…I said that incorrectly to. Everyone, no mattr how good has a reason to be apprehensive in OW. Just seen to many not prepared properly for swim then open water becomes a nightmare. Its obvious thats not you…thanks
The B2B swim is in a channel so you are not going to get the waves/chop like you would if the swim was in the open ocean. Also, because of the point to point nature of the race, I believe (although I could be wrong) that the RD can make the race wetsuit mandatory (regardless of water temp). And, in most years, you are going to get a huge assist from the current. It sounds like you are a strong enough swimmer that you have nothing to worry about.
ETA: From the B2B FAQs section:
What is the rule on wetsuits?
PPD Beach2Battleship organizers will REQUIRE that you wear a wetsuit during the swim. There will be no exception to this rule.
it’s a different kind of difficult, especially if it’s wetsuit legal. I’d rather swim in rough ocean than warm flat fresh water with people climbing over me any day.
IME there are very few rough ocean swims in triathlon.
It probably doesn’t need to be said, but a rough ocean swim will be much more difficult than a swim in flat fresh water.
it’s a different kind of difficult, especially if it’s wetsuit legal. I’d rather swim in rough ocean than warm flat fresh water with people climbing over me any day.
IME there are very few rough ocean swims in triathlon.
It probably doesn’t need to be said, but a rough ocean swim will be much more difficult than a swim in flat fresh water.
Just for a N=1 value, IMFL is a salty wet-suit swim.
I have done it twice and gone 1:01 in pretty calm conditions and 1:03 in more rough conditions. The 1:01 is about a 1:25 pace (in yards) and the 1:03 is about a 1:28 pace. All this assumes that I actually swam the course perfectly in 4000m. In a pool, no wet-suit, fresh water obviously, using flip turns, I think I could probably go 1:25 for an hour and still be fresh enough to race rest of an IM.
In other words, for me, the wet-suit and the salt water are a wash. The help me out enough to over come a lack of flip turns, a presence of waves, a presence of current, improper navigation and getting beaten up by others for a good part of the first mile.
Not quite sure if you are being snarky by responding to me or not…but alright if you are.
No snark at all. Just explaining how someone can be generally comfortable in open water without a wetsuit, but still get apprehensive about it at times. I know others (especially good body surfers) who are completely nonchalant about jumping into 6 foot surf without a wetsuit.
Whoops…sorry, should of used a different word. Everyone can be apprehensive, even before a 5k. I think you know what I meant with people in tri’s not prepared for open water swim…But thanks for pointing out me not using the right word. The board would be full misleading statements without ones like you to police it…Thanks…I will try to remember to use the EXACT appropriate words
Whoops…sorry, should of used a different word. Everyone can be apprehensive, even before a 5k. I think you know what I meant with people in tri’s not prepared for open water swim…But thanks for pointing out me not using the right word. The board would be full misleading statements without ones like you to police it…Thanks…I will try to remember to use the EXACT appropriate words
“should have” or if you must “should’ve”. There is no phrase “should of”.
/pet peeve.
(I likely wouldn’t have even said anything, but the irony of that phrase in a sentence that says you “should used a different word” was too much for me to pass up. )