How to make yourself more visible in an OWS?

Triathlon Forum
1

So the other day I went for my OWS training in a lake close to home. My wife came over with the dog and she was gonna hang out with her around the area while I went for my swim.

As I was coming out of the water when I was done, I find my wife almost crying and very agitated and a bunch of bystanders gathered up in the edge of the lake all of them staring at me… As soon as I took off my swim cap and my earplugs I finally heard them and got the story.

Apparently there where a couple of speed boats hauling in the lake and one of them got way too close to me 2 times, to the point that the bystanders and my wife thought I could’ve been hit in one of the two passes they made, since they claim they couldnt see me on the surface for a few seconds after the boat passed that second time.
I never heard the boats, never saw them and certainly they didnt hit me. Now this doesnt mean they probably wherent too close to me, but I was in my zone, with plugs in my ears and swimming away…

The swim course in the lake we usually do around my community is an out and back from shore to shore for a total distance of just over a mile. We do cross right through the middle of the lake, so we are definately exposed to all the action, if any.
My question is, do any of you guys/gals have any suggestions on how I can make myself more visible in the lake while I swim? All I can think off is my swim cap, but I already have a bright colored one…

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, doesnt matter how rustic or rudimentary they may sound, I really dont care, as long as Im more visible in the water!!

Thanks a bunch!!
Alex

2

Swim around perimeter of the lake instead of across the middle where the boats are.
.

3

I don’t understand how you couldn’t hear a boat if it was in fact so close to you that it freaked out the wife. I have swam with plugs but can easily hear/ feel the vibrations from boats even when they are a safe distance away.

4

I’ve never done this but what about towing a inflatable inner tube? The more garish the color the better.
I’d try to hook it to my ankle. Put your dog in the back for more resistance. Other than that I’d stick to shallow water.
http://nwamotherlode.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/innertube2.jpg

5

helium balloon on a string tied to the back of your goggles? Doubt you’d feel it and it would definitely stand out

6

Most boaters (except for older fisherman generally who drive much slower) seem to like to sleep in. At the lake we swim in here we go very early in the morning (right after sun up) to avoid the boat traffic. Other than a brightly colored swim cap the only other two things you can use are to drag a floating device behind you with a flag on it, or bring a kayak escort along with you.

The two most terrifying things I’ve ever seen or heard in open water were a Jet Ski flying past me at stupid speed and swimming back into shore through the ocean break when a surfer (way further to the left on the beach than where they usually surf) fell off his board which went flying right past my head and just missed me. I do my best to avoid both situations… genearlly getting up early seems to do the trick.

7

Keep in mind too that depth perception on a flat surface is hard to figure out. We had a similar situation waiting for a buddy of mine to swim back into shore at a recent swim. We thought the boat came way too close to him and all gasped… turns out it was at least 75 feet away from him. But from shore everything looks closer together as its hard to guage the depth.

8

The first thing that comes to mind is to have somebody alongside you in a boat or canoe. Obviously, that introduces some additional logistics.

Another option would be to only swim when the water is really calm so you’re not lost in the waves.

I don’t know if either of those are decent options.

9

maybe I’m just a wuss, but your a brave man swimming like that with boating activity. I’ll do a few OWS in the Chesapeake Bay swimming along the shore line and I’m usually scared shitless about getting hit by a boat.

10

I suggest two things:

  1. Lose the ear plugs. I swim in a lake with tons of boat traffic and can easily hear boats that are 3/4 mile away. (If anything, they sound too close when they’re not). Those must be some industrial strength plugs you have if you didn’t hear the boat at all.

  2. Get an orange swim cap. Your head is the only thing that’s consistently above the water, so that’s a good place to start. I’ve also seen people put orange tape/bands around their wrists so you can see a person’s arms turn over.

11

fast spinning blades and people do not mix not matter how visible you are. i’d never swim with that risk. swim cap is about the best, make sure you are looking around as well, plus properly trained spotters on the side to identify hazards and get help, always a good idea when ows. like the other poster though im astonished you didn’t feel anything, even if it was just the swell.

12

I’ve also seen people put orange tape/bands around their wrists so you can see a person’s arms turn over.

You know… thats a good idea. Why don’t wetsuit manufacturers for triathlon specific wetsuits do this for us? I know if two suits were essentially identical to me (and I’m such a crap swimmer that pretty much any wetsuit that fits me and allows for movement is indentical as far as I’m concerned) a feature such as making me more visible to boat traffic would definitely make me lean towards that suit. Actually now that I think of it… somebody who swims in my open water group has a wetsuit with red on the sleeves and he’s always the first guy I can see from shore.

(I should add that making the wetsuit look like a bad Ironman costume like the new 1200 dollar one is not worth being more visible to boat traffic. I wouldn’t be caught dead in that thing)

13

We bought a Kayak just for this purpose. I swim while my wife paddles and then I paddle while she swims. Safe, keeps the boats away and makes for a great swim workout. Even if your wife doesn’t swim it would be a great way to involve her in your activities.

14

“helium balloon on a string tied to the back of your goggles? Doubt you’d feel it and it would definitely stand out.”
This is good. Something tall and bright that will make boaters take a second look. Towing an inflatable raft isn’t a bad idea, but boaters may think it’s just a free-floating raft from afar and not pay it attention. One of those mylar balloons will stay inflated forever, too.

The other, less elegant idea is to stick a tall bike flag into a swim buoy, add a little weight to the bottom to keep it upright, and tow that.

15

I’ve thought about this same thing before and I’ve considered the ballon thing- i think it’s the best thing you’re going to get. You’re braver than me though- I swim solo in OW, but I wouldn’t ever swim solo across a boating channel. Taking a canoe or kayak alongside you would be the best but the balloon is a good back up.

16

http://ishof.org/safety/ssd.htm

my wife and I do a OWS just about every friday that is point to point 2.3 mile river swim. We typically rock these things. They look stupid, but you rarely notice them while swimming. They are great for cramps. It also has a dry storage area for keys.

http://ishof.org/safety/images/ssd.jpg

I bought the giant one.

17

I have seen the items that Borden shows and I have also seen people pull a rescue bouy (the things that life gruards use) with them. The balloon sounds interesting, though.

For me, I swim a in lake that is slow-no-wake between 5pm and 10am. So, I either swim in the morning or in the evening when the boats will be going slow. My wife or kid(s) usually do the kayak thing along with me and I wear an obnoxous red swim cap too.

18

I live along a huge lake in south central Missouri, and do all of my swim training in the lake during the summer when tourist season is in full swing. I swim in designated “no wake” areas along the shoreline, which means that boats are allowed there, but they must travel at idle speed only. I would never venture across the lake (500 yards across), since many of the boats on this lake can go 50-100 mph (and a few well in excess of that), and visibility of objects in the water is greatly reduced at those speeds. I strongly suggest you swim along the shoreline, not across the lake, especially if the lake has deep water.

Having said that, I do four things to make myself more visible and safe. First, I always wear a swim cap. Second, I wear an inflatable life vest (example). It contains a CO2 cartridge and rip cord, so that if I get into trouble, a quick pull of the cord will quickly inflate it. Uninflated, it creates lots of drag, unfortunately, but it provides both visibility and safety. (I look upon the additional drag as a training benefit.) Third, I have an orange rescue can (example) tethered to me. It creates very little drag, and gives me something to hold onto when I want to rest, fix my goggles, etc. (I hate to sound morbid, but if I succumb to a heart attack while swimming, at least the floating rescue can will help the recovery crew locate my body quickly. I helped search for a drowned 18 year-old a few years ago while his family waited nearly two days for the body to be found. It was awful.) Finally, I wear a white t-shirt, but I do that partly to eliminate chafing from the vest and rescue can’s shoulder strap.

Using all of these measures, I’ve never had a problem of a boater not seeing me. If I thought I needed an additional measure, I’d attach an orange “skier down” flag to my rescue can (example).

The best protection would be to have someone in a kayak next to you, with an orange flag on board. Get your wife a kayak. You’ll both feel better about the situation.

I’m surprised you didn’t hear the tinny sound made by the boats as they passed by, even with earplugs. Sometimes, that’s my first indication that a boat is in the area, and I keep an eye on them.

Jim

19

Strap a couple of these to your wrists: http://www.rei.com/product/634418/nathan-tri-color-ankle-band

And this seems like a good idea too: http://blog.swimator.com/2011/08/aquaspotter-review-swimming-safety-in.html

The balloon idea seems to me to be one more thing placing us on the fringe. And harder logistically.

20

Yeah I was thinking some sort of cycling leg strap would be good for the wrists too as long as it can get narrow enough to stay put.

Balloons have no place in triathlon… not in transition, and not tied to me while I’m swimming! Although I suppose dorkiness beats death…