If you aren’t an amazing swimmer, but swim in the midpack of a group swim, how different is it to swim in open water than in a pool full of swimmers?
I’m just curious because I’m about to do a short open water swim with friends, but never swam in open water. It’s in a lake, by the way.
Not too different. Underwater visibility will probably be limited. You may have a hard time tracking (swimming straight to a point) because you don’t have a line below you. But if you’ve shared a lane with other swimmers, you should be fine with the waves you’ll have around you.
Physically not terribly different if you’re talking flat water and no current.
The difference really is between your ears- it’s all about how you mentally handle it when you don’t have a nice black line to follow anymore.
It feels like a world apart.
You’ll get to feel cool air on the recovery (or maybe sun, if you swim in the afternoon). There will be darkness below you, sunlight on your breaths. There are waves and pockets of warm and cold and maybe fishies. You’ll turn your head not to see a clock but just an expanse of water, or trees on the shoreline.
You will never want to return to the pool…
I live near a bay with a 1300 meter loop. I’d rather swim there than a pool anytime…
BTW, I can’t swim in a straight line so it takes longer, but I’m more revitalized after an open water swim.
Enjoy it and be safe.
Cheers,
Puskas
it’s way, way different.
usually, in a pool everyone is swimming in some kind of rotating oval within a lane. in an open water race, you’ll find people swimming over, under, all around you. you may get kicked, your goggles knocked off, and have trouble breathing with all of the water chop around you. for the uninitiated, it can be frightening. even for the experienced, it can be a real challenge. i used to compete in open ocean swims and lots of triathlons. even as one of the best swimmers in most of those races, i found it challenging. the best advice i can give you is to get as much experience doing it as possible so it isn’t as big of a shock. if you live near open water, get some training partners to swim with you. deliberately swim close to one another, practice drafting. get used to people touching you.
at the nationals one year, i had a leg injury and started at the back of the pack. over the 1500 meter swim, i kept looking for the scuba divers hoping they’d retrieve my body after i drowned! ended up finishing ahead of nearly everyone in my heat, which meant i’d swam over/under almost everyone. and yet, i thought i was the one drowning!
good luck.
Here’s an old article I wrote awhile back, maybe give you a few things to think about…Good luck, it is fun as hell to get off the black line…
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/swimcenter/openart.html
Everyone is correct so far in what they wrote as it’s based on their experiences…but conditions, number of participants, competitiveness of the field, distance of the race, and several other factors will contribute to your eventual experience. As stated by several others, some direct training in open water is suggested. Better to do it with a group so you get familiar with people all around you.
Be prepared, or expect the unexpected as weather conditions can make an open water race miserable for even the best of the best. Get familiar with a high heart rate initially, physical contact which is not necessarily intended, and even being confined or “boxed-in” based on your stated speed.
All in all, the experience will create discussion after and you’ll likely enjoy it…but there are so many factors that go into what to expect. In summary: get open water training experience!
Excellent question. I’m not a fast swimmer by any means- on the best of days middle of the pack. I am comfortable (but vigilant) in the water. I’ve done the various recreational sports in the water, both fresh and ocean. Most importantly, I love the coastal/littoral envrionment. I love the sea life and marine creatures large and small. Fascinating.
For me the biggest issue is pacing and navigation. It is so easy to judge your effort in the pool and so easy to swim straight. I’m not a bilateral breather (shame on me) so I tend to “pull” to one side on all swims.
For me- swimming straight is just the biggest challenge.
tom - learn to bi-lateral breathe. it’s really easy and you’ll get it after just a couple of swims.
I try to get in the open water as much as possible. Last week I was on vacation in Ocean City New Jersey and hooked up with Bruckner Chase of the Ocean City Swim Club. He is an exceptional open water swimmer, who, in fact, will be swimming across Monterey Bay next week. I consider myself a capable swimmer and usually finish in the top half of the pack in races. I met Bruckner and a small group for a tempo workout in the Ocean on 1st street in Ocean City. It was windy and the water was fairly choppy with 4-5 foot waves. We swam out about 500 meters and regrouped to start some pick ups. I got my ass handed to me just swimming out to the meeting flag. Sighting was difficult and the waves knocked the crap out of me. Also, because I was swimming up one side of the wave and down the back I became a bit disoriented. Needless to say I stayed out there for about 25 minutes and was shot. Bruckner and his group stayed out the full hour and were cutting through everything. It was a great learning experience even though it humbled my ass.
Freaked out my first open water, in a sprint. The lack of visibility made it difficult.
After that I started closing my eyes in the pool. Only opening them when up to breathe or practice sighting.
Made a world of difference for me.
I vote with the " completely different " folks. We had an informal tri on July 4th here in New Orleans and the lake water was HOT ( due to lack of rain ).
Most people I talk to are spooked for the first few open water swims; I was. I still find the dark water creepy. Lake swimming on a windy day can be a real effort ( espcially if you swim out and back ) . The best part is the workout I get by swimming longer without stopping. It’s also good to be in a crowd of people who thinks it’s good to exercise most days.
I advise wearing tinted or dark goggles ( the bright sun ) , a neon colored swim cap, checking to see if you’re swimming straight and , most of all, never swim alone.
Have fun !
How different is it to ride a bike on a trainer indoors than it is to ride in the pouring rain in traffic. About the same a pool swimming versus open water swimming. (I’m a swimmer not a cyclist).