Gallery
OVER COME OPEN WATER CONDITIONS
BIG WAVES - REMEMBER BIG WAVES ALSO MOVE WATER DEEPER BELOW THEM AND SO BREAK MUCH EARLIER WHILE
LITTLE WAVES BREAK CLOSE TO SHORE
BREAKERS IS A WAVE WHEN IT REACHES SHALLOW WATER - A BREAKER WILL CRASH OVER OUR HEAD
AND TRY AND PUSH US TO THE BOTTOM.
WAVES TRAVEL IN ONE DIRECTION AND CAUSE YOU TO GO UP AND DOWN.
THE WATER CAN BE MUCH ROUGHER AND HARDER TO SWIM IN CLOSE TO LAND DUE TO WAVES BUILDING UP
AND CRASHING. IT CAN BE MUCH EASIER SOMETIMES SWIMMING OUT A LITTLE FURTHER OUT
UNDER TOWS - THIS IS WHEN THE WATER IS RETURNING TO THE OCEAN UNDER THE INCOMING WAVE.
THIS WILL NOT AFFECT A SWIMMER WHO IS NEAR THE SURFACE.
RIPTIDES MOVE FASTER THAN WE CAN SWIM BUT ARE NOT VERY WIDE, EITHER SWIM TO THE SIDE OR LET THE CURRENT TAKE YOU OUT UNTIL IT WEAKENS THEN SWIM BACK BUT NOT DIRECTLY BACK INTO THE RIPTIDES THAT TOOK YOU AWAY FROM LAND.
SWELLS MAKE LIFE INTERESTING. LOOK UP AND AHEAD AT THE APEX (TOP) OF THE SWELL TO SEE WHERE YOU NEED TO GO. THEY CAN BE SMALL OR BIG SWELLS CHANGE THE SPEED OF YOUR STROKE RATE TO ACCOMMODATE THE SWELL
HEAD WIND OR CURRENT SWIMMING REQUIRES STRENGTH AND SKILL YOU NEED TO LEARN WHAT LENGTH
OF STROKE IS BEST TO HELP YOU MOVE THE FASTEST. IN A TAIL WIND MAKE YOUR STROKE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
AVOID COMPROMISING A SHORT STROKE WHEN THE WIND IS BEHIND YOU.
REMEMBER THE WIND MOVES THE SURFACE OF THE WATER LIKE A CURRENT.
OPEN WATER SWIM SESSION - BODY SURFING 6
YOU NEED A STREAMLINED POSITION TO ALLOW THE WAVE TO CARRY YOU
AIM TO SWIM JUST SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN THE WAVE, SWIM TOO FAST AND IT WONT GET HOLD OF YOU
SWIM TOO SLOW AND IT PASSES YOU BY
BODY SURFING TIPS
YOU WONT GO ANYWHERE IF YOU ARE BEHIND THE WAVE WHEN IT BRAKES.
IN FRONT OF THE WAVE WHEN IT BREAKS IT WILL LIFT AND PUSH YOU BEFORE IT PASSES BY
BEING ON TOP OF THE WAVE WHEN IT BREAKS YOU END UP STAYING ON TOP OF IT UNTIL IT RACHES THE SHORE.
AS THE WAVE STARTS TO BREAK TAKE ONE OR TWO STRONG PULLS GET STREAMLINED WHILE HOLDING
YOUR BREATH AND KICK AS HARD AS POSSIBLE TO STAY JUST AHEAD OF THE WAVE.
SAFETY TIP - AVOID HURTING YOUR FINGERS BY JOINING YOUR HANDS TOGETHER OR CLENCHING YOUR FISTS