I do one open water swim per week by myself. Its either in a lake or ocean, the latter in which I hug the shoreline. My wife (who is also a triathlete) seems to think I am endangering myself…I disagree saying riding a bike solo is FAR more deadly.
The way I see it, if I am wearing a wetsuit, the only thing that is bringing me down is an embolism or a heart attack, then its lights out. I don’t swim near riptides before anyone brings it up and sharks dont really go near people up here in Maine. If there is boat traffic, I dont frequent the area either.
I think it is. I swim at Aquatic Park in San Francisco alone, but always around the buoys (when alone) amidst a lot of other swimmers. Super dangerous? No, but if you pass out, you’ll die, whereas if you passout on the bike you probably won’t.
Im with you, if you have an embolism or heart attack, you can die even in a pool. let people know where you are swimming. just remember, you can get hit by a drunk driver anytime, thats not a reason though to stop biking or driving.
Yes, it is. But so is driving in a car, and statistically the car is probably far more dangerous. I swim solo more often than I should (often without a wet suit.) I always tell my wife where I’m going, I wear my road ID, and usually there is someone nearby when I’m in the water. Sure, I could drown, but if I wanted absolute safety I’d stay at home in my room all day.
All of the above assumes one is an experienced swimmer who is comfortable in open water.
Personally, I don’t think it’s overly “dangerous.” Is it technically more dangerous than swimming with a buddy? Of course it is. I do a 50 minute lake swim routinely, oftentimes alone. I always wear a wetsuit and I don’t think I’d feel as “safe” without it. (If I got some sort of horrible debilitating cramp I’d like to have a wetsuit on for the added flotation.) I have never “passed out” in my life and I don’t know many people who have. I think the odds of something like that happening while you’re swimming are so remote as to not warrant too much thought. I realize there are anecdotal situations where it has happened though. As far as telling people that you’re swimming, that’s great if you’re concerned about having your dead body recovered. I don’t know that it increases the safety factor though.
i’m not sure that swimming alone in a pool is any safer.
if it’s just a completely isolated pool, where no one is checking on you, that seems at least as dangerous - more walls to conk your head on. no boats, of course, but more walls.
Funny to read this post; I’ve been pondering the same question for the past couple weeks.
I’m in Maine too. My swim options are -
the pool, which is way too warm and really dark and just not my favorite place to swim, but I won’t whine too much 'cuz I got a nice workout in this morning
Echo Lake. No boat traffic (kayaks, canoes, no motorboats). 400m across/2mi long, I think it’s fairly safe for me to do “800 repeats” between the summer camp dock and the opposite shore. Still, I get a little scared swimming alone (I’ve done this three times)
Ocean Option 1. My apartment is on the ocean and there’s a dock right behind the house. There’s a big rock I could swim to and do laps out and back to that, or I could swim along the shore. However, I’d have to watch for lobster boats, which would not see me. Also, I’d have to wear the Miserable Piece of Fabric Called Wetsuit, as the ocean is currently 57*. If I swim here, it’d be relatively supervised, though I’m not sure the people watching me would know how to help if something were to happen.
Ocean Option 2. Sand Beach. This I will do at some point, because I think it would be wicked fun… even if I have to wear the Miserable Piece of Fabric Called Wetsuit… dangers include huge waves and riptides. On the other hand, they have lifeguards. Handsome lifeguards.
ps. sharks dont really go near people up here in Maine. maybe not sharks, but we had jellyfish galore this weekend! I watched them from the dock on Saturday morning, all gliding around and alive… went to Sand Beach in the afternoon and there were dead ones all over the place. They’re all slimy and jelly-like
As far as telling people that you’re swimming, that’s great if you’re concerned about having your dead body recovered. I don’t know that it increases the safety factor though.
I think it makes you feel safer… but doesn’t really do anything.
I’m trying to think about this from the opposite perspective. If my brother - and he is a better swimmer than I - told me “I swam alone for an hour this morning in the lake/ocean,” I’d be upset because there’s always that slim chance that something could happen, and you get in trouble and there’s no one to help. Looking at it that way, I think yes… it is dangerous.
I wish I could convince more people into kayaking along with me I really like that!!!
I believe it’s some sort of inflatable life preserver you wear around your waist. if something happens you pull a cord and it inflates like one of those airline life jackets.
I do it regularly on weekend mornings. I do not think it is very dangerous. I stay along the shore of the fairly small lake, 4 miles long and a little less than a mile wide. I practice siting using docks, moored boats, buoys etc. I think the biggest safety issue would be hitting on my head something which seems unlikely. Not sure if biking is more dangerous or not but I think that if I were to get hurt/killed swimming it would likely be because I did something stupid and the other way around for biking.
Hmmm. I could take one of our red rescue tubes from camp and put the strap around my waist… and drag that… LOL.
When I get out in the middle of the lake alone, it’s a little scary. I’m pretty confident in my swim ability. But I start thinking about monsters and stuff and AAAAA swim back as fast as I can. I’m such a wimp
I’m leery about swimming in water that is borderline warm enough by myself. That’s rarely a problem in the summer.
Otherwise, I don’t worry about it. I don’t think that two swimmers are much safer from boat traffic than one - more about picking where and when to go.
Yeah … having a heart attack would suck. Probably not nearly as much as if it happened while driving my van through rush hour traffic, though!
I always swim where there is a life guard and tell them where I am swimming to. I think swimming with a swim buddy could actually be more dangerous in some conditions. For instance, if your swim buddy isn’t a very good swimmer and panics, they may actually put a deathly hold onto you, if you aren’t a great swimmer and they aren’t either, you both are going down.
I was going to write this to you in your other thread that mentioned your habit of swimming open water alone. I chose not to then, but since you asked, I’ll tell you.
I’ll start by saying that generally I am a pretty cautious person. I typically will not ride my bike alone on the road, and even then most of my riding is done on a 7 mile road inside of a State Park. Sometimes it is a little boring doing those loops, but I just feel more secure knowing that there are fewer cars and those that are there are typically driving 25 MPH.
I don’t think swimming open water solo is smart. Even though you might be a strong swimmer, anything can happen. For instance, I was swimming open water 2 weeks ago with some friends in a small lake. On our 3rd loop, I started to get really bad hamstring cramps. I knew what was going on and how to assist myself and I’m sure you would too, but it was nice to know that I had someone there to help if need be.
2 weeks before that little incident there was one at that same lake that was not so little. A 19 year old was trying to swim across the lake (maybe 500 yards) and drowned. By his friends statements he was not an inexperienced swimmer and they have no idea what happened to him.
If it is a matter of deciding which is more dangerous solo biking or solo swimming, I couldn’t tell you. I think they are both dangerous (as a lot of things are) in their own way. It is about calculated risk vs. reward. I know that if my wife expressed that kind of concern, I would not simply poo-poo her and do it anyway. I’ll get off my soap box now.
A local woman in in Satellite Beach, FL swam alone along the shoreline in the ocean every day. One day… BAM attacked by a Bull shark. Luckily there was a couple of surfers out to rescue her. Swimming in the ocean won’t reduce your chance of shark attack or any other issue, but swimming in open water with a buddy can save your life if something happens.
They don’t let you scuba dive in open water alone. In the PJ’s they don’t let you go alone. In BUDs and SEALs they don’t let you go alone (and they are qualified to do so).
Just my $.02 but I would not do it and I don’t. Even in the lakes, rivers, intracoastals. Too many variables with tides, depth, sealife, buoys, boats…
I trained with a group and a woman swam right into a crab trap. Opened up her head and knocked her out. I was about 3 stokes behind her and pulled her in. Dead for sure if she was alone. She was out cold for a few minutes and woke up on the way in while on her back as I pulled her to shore. This was in the Indian River, Brevard County, FL.
I have my wife come to the local lake wiht me in a kayak to paddle along with me while I swim. She keeps an eye out for boats, water snakes, etc. It lets me concentrate on a quality swim instead of all the other stuff gong on around me in the water, sort of like a race with the lookouts.
I really like that!!!