Inland Empire Swimming is a registered USA Swimming committee of volunteers who are enthusiastic about open water swimming.

Given the fact that Inland Empire Swimming governs swims in eastern Washington and northern Idaho in the US, not traditionally a hotbed of open water swimming, their passion for open water swimming is inspirational.

Led by Ken Schuh, Inland Empire Swimming is hosting two swim: the Snake River Challenge in Lewiston Idaho in July and the CAST Classic in Couer’D’Alene, Idaho in August.


“Our custom-manufactured, custom-printed buoys from AIRE in Meridian, Idaho are quite large,” advised Ken. “They have a three-point anchor line mount system to promote stability, which are perfect for our river swims. They have a 10-year no-questions-asked guarantee and are made from material that is 2-3 times thicker than other buoys. Each buoy has a bleed relief valve on the top in case they are over-inflated or the air temperature increases significantly through a full day of racing. AIRE is a very reliable manufacturer of inflatable zodiac boats.”

“We also purchased multiple sets of linesman two-color flag sets (both red and yellow) and a set of bi-color starter flags, water-resistant battery-powered megaphones and a set of 12 CP 200 Motorola Radios.”

Ken also uses a Microsoft Excel-based Open Water Timing and Meet Management system called H2OW Swimtime that is a portable, inexpensive solution capable of timing events of up to 500 athletes with as many as 10 divisions or up to 10 different staggered starts.

With scenic backdrops, a deep passion for open water swimming and custom equipment, Inland Empire Swimming certainly has the right stuff for some great open water swims.

Photos shows an AIRE buoy before and after inflating.

For examples, videos and information on how these customized buoys can be used, learn more about Pool Open Water swimming (POW), visit here.


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