A Window Of Opportunity In The Open Water World
What is a window of opportunity?It a brief time period in which an opportunity exists – or will be missed. With all the various dynamic elements in any open body of water, a swimmer’s window is also a critical time frame that opens and shuts as fate – and winds – would have it.
A window is a period of time that an open water swimmer plans ahead of time in order to start a marathon swim or channel swim attempt. A window is typically longer than one day and can be as long as several weeks depending on the body of water and conditions.
Harry Huffaker patiently waited months to tackle the first attempts at the 30-mile Alenuihaha Channel between the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui in 1970. Others wait patiently and anxiously for their slots from the English Channel to the Tsugaru Channel.
A window is used in order to allow the swimmer to avoid difficult or impossible conditions due to weather or other unexpected phenomena (e.g., lightning, storms, winds, sewage breaks, political upheavals, or legal issues).
Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff.
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