Five Dimensions Of Expecting The Unexpected In The Open Water
There are five dimensions Of Expecting The Unexpected in open water swimming.
Tag: hyperthermia
Head Down After 0.5ºC, Head Up After 6.4ºC
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Put Ger Kennedy in 1 km at 0.5ºC (32.9ºF) water in -20ºC (-4ºF) air and he feels the painful sensations of hypothermia and the after drop. Refer to above photo by Shamil Tanna in the recovery room in March 2015 after a 1 km 0.5ºC swim. But put Kennedy in the 6.4ºC (43.5ºF) water of Windermere at the 2016
What Is A Medical Director To Do In Open Water Races?
In the open water swimming world, a key position to fill at every competition is the Medical Officer. This position is called various names like Medical Director or Medical Delegate, but it usually is filled with an experienced medical professional including physicians, nurses, or EMT's. While each sanctioning body, association, series, local
Hallucinations In The Open Water Swimming World
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Open water swimming, especially in a non-competitive environment, is occasionally described by some as being meditative or a form of aquatic zen. Swimmers can zone out for long or short periods where their mind thinks of nothing concrete, one specific thing over and over again, or lots of different
How to Properly Measure Water Temperatures In The Open Water
When Ram Barkai, Ryan Stramrood, Kieron Palframan, Toks Viviers, and Andrew Chin completed their trio of swims in the Patagonia Extreme Swim Challenge, one main issue was dealing with the cold and currents in the Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel and Cape Horn. But there were different water temperatures taken: Barkai’s measurements included Magellan (9°C),
Do Swimmers Bonk?
As marathon runners and triathletes talk about bonking, open water swimmers talk about the conditions of the water, the pace of their competition, or the climate they will face - either warm or cold. We have rarely heard competitive open water swimmers talk about talk about straight-out bonking like runners and triathletes frequently do. That word -
FINA Taking It To The Edge – Part 1
FINA's decisions and justifications for its latest open water swimming rules are shocking and irresponsible. In our experience, observations and opinion, there is simply no justification to allow world-class athletes to race 5 km, 10 km and 25 km in water temperatures up to (and above) 31°C. The problem is even greater because when FINA decides water
What Level Of Risk Is Acceptable In The Open Water?
After reading today's article on protective swimwear (see here about the dangers of swimming in waters with box jellyfish), marathon swimmer Bob Needham asked the following profound questions: What amount of risk to a swimmer is acceptable in the sport? When does exposing yourself to a certain level of risk considered "foolish"? These are questions that
What To Do In An Emergency Situation In Open Water Swims
While experienced and qualified first responders (e.g., race officials, lifeguards, military personnel or event staff) are usually quick to respond and are essential to the overall health and welfare of all participants, many of the first responders in emergency situations in open water swims are other swimmers. Because so many swimmers help others in
Nothing Great Is Easy
Nothing Great Is Easy are the well-known words written on the memorial to Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to successfully swim across the English Channel in 1875.135 years later and those words still ring true – very true for marathon swimmers, the modern-day adventurers of the sporting world. Risk and danger as prevalent in marathon swimming as
