I have done two open water swims in a wetsuit and each time I have struggled to catch my breath and have found swimming very difficult. I don’t know if it is due to the restrictiveness of the wetsuit or the cold water (I am athsmatic) or if it is just nerves. Any advice would be great as at the moment I am restricted to doing breathstroke with my head out of the water or backstroke.
Not sure if this will help, but if your not wearing a swim cap, wear one. And if you are, try doubling up. In my experience, the cold water on my head made it difficult to breath. Of course, OW also takes some getting used to.
/kurt
Probably just need to get used to it. I have been swimming since I was little and my first couple of open water races in high school freaked me out a bit.
Just to be sure. Try your wetsuit in a pool. If you feel fine then you can eliminate that cause.
The cap suggestion is good (besides you will be wearing one in a race anyways). otherwise just keep trying to get used to it.
Make sure you have someone with you in case you have a problem.
Those are good suggestions. In really cold water, when the wet stuff hits your face it triggers a reflex that tells your body to panic breathe. Some folks warm up a little to acclimate to the temperature to avoid the shock of the plunge start. The pool idea would help you figure out if the temp is the problem. If it is, also consider a neoprene cap (Squid Lid) and booties on your feet (yes, they are legal under USAT rules).
As for chest constriction, that too is a common issue. Poorly fit wetsuits can definitely restrict your breathing. Try swimming a little with the zipper down and the neck closure open. If that helps a lot, your wetsuit is too tight.
Finally, open water swimming can be a psychological freak out if you are worried at all about stuff under you, bodies around you, vortices, tidal waves, etc. This only goes away with time and practice. Pick a nice, clean, clear fresh water lake to practice in if you have one and then graduate to the ocean only after you feel good in general in the open water. Also, if you can find some other swimmer friends to swim with, have them swim right next to you and sometimes bump or touch you to get use to contact in the water (or play water polo). Helps you practice drafting too.
Hope you find the answer.
There are a number of good suggestions above. One more (not necessarily good): Concentrate on exhaling, not inhaling. If you don’t exhale, you can’t inhale. This is quite common in people new to open-water swimming.
David
Thanks everyone. I am trying to find a pool that will allow me to wear my wetsuit. Our club has 3 or 4 open water swim sessions a week (unfortunatly all are in the sea) so I will try and use these to aclimatise. The exhaling tip sounds great as I am sure this might have something to do with it.