Distance swimming question....

[basinbeater]

I am headed to Nevis next month, and have an idea. The channel from Nevis to St kitts is 4km. They regularly have a race where people swim across. I don't want to do the race, but I think I want to try to swim across.

I am pretty fit, faster than most of my buddies this winter on the skin track, and have been hitting the gym regularly for a while now, and consider myself pretty fit. I don't swim a lot, but in the summer I do regularly swim laps after working out. I also mountain bike a fair amount, and now that the weather has warmed a bit, have been riding my bike to the gym. I think I am a pretty strong swimmer, grew up doing swim team and all that.
I am going to be 40 this year.

Question is... Is a 4k open water swim a good idea or a bad idea? I like the idea. What do people do for drinking water while they swim long distances? (4k isn't really that far).

Guess I better start hittin the pool at my workouts now...

[4matic]

That's a 90 minute swim for me now and I swam in college. Start with an hour straight no break and see how far you go. Open water is tougher because of chop and keeping in a straight line. Try swimming by time and not distance. Figure out your 50 yd. pace that you are comfortable holding forever. For me its 45 seconds 50's. If you hydrate and go at a slow pace you won't need much water.

My Audiodflood iPod has made long swims possible and much easier to swim by time instead of distance.

[Mazderati]

You'll be fine.

[basinbeater]

oh damn.

[Shredhead]

It would suck to find out you couldn't make it. Having a support boat might not be a bad idea.

[basinbeater]

Agreed that would suck.

[mrkbrnblm]

That's 80 Olympic laps in waves, wind, and current with no crash boat. Lord knows I wouldn't make it. Check the currents, figure out how you're getting back (before you find yourself stranded on the other side of a 4 km swim) and wear your official Nevis to St. Kitts swimwear...

[basinbeater]

Yeah, I think i am going to start swimming a lot more the next few weeks and see how I feel. Maybe swim for an hour on days that aren't lifting days.

Also, pretty sure that with a few bucks, I could pay a water taxi to bring me back. I suggested to my wife that they take a boat and sort of follow, then we can eat lunch over there and poke around before heading back over.

[From_the_NEK]

Not sure what the boat traffic is through that channel but that might be another thing you should be concerned about. You might want to have one of those tow behind buoy things to make yourself more visible. Might want to pull it while training to.

[::: :::]

diana nyad may have an extra shark cage to sell you -- i think she's retired finally

[basinbeater]

Look, supposedly it is the perfect swim for swimmers or all abilities. haha.
http://www.nevisisland.com/island-of...-st-kitts-swim

[4matic]

Open water swimming requires high windmill style arms for freestyle. It's actually more of the modern stroke now anyway.

[::: :::]

Look, supposedly it is the perfect swim for swimmers or all abilities. haha.
http://www.nevisisland.com/island-of...-st-kitts-swim

they do make it sound good



the only open water swimming i've done is in lakes here in the pnw and actual visibility would enhanced every single one of them...even if I could then see the attacking predators


4matic's advice above is important...open water swimming is way different than a lap pool: sighting, temperature, current, chop, no resting (float on your back is best you can do to take a breather); seriously consider a wetsuit for buoyancy; in your practices, work on your technique/efficiency more than anything else (the easier you accumulate distance, the better; don't worry about speed).

[seano732]

they do make it sound good



the only open water swimming i've done is in lakes here in the pnw and actual visibility would enhanced every single one of them...even if I could then see the attacking predators


4matic's advice above is important...open water swimming is way different than a lap pool: sighting, temperature, current, chop, no resting (float on your back is best you can do to take a breather); seriously consider a wetsuit for buoyancy; in your practices, work on your technique/efficiency more than anything else (the easier you accumulate distance, the better; don't worry about speed).

^^^^All of this; I'd add that getting your head right is REALLY important, and the only way to do that is to get a lot of OS practice in before you go. I've done the Escape from Alcatraz twice, and I paid for a coach prior to the first time.....Lots of people new to open water swimming have panic attacks and freak the fuck out; no bueno if you're in the middle of SF Bay or halfway across the channel, in your case....Make sure you can do the distance easy, dial in your sightings, and relax and have fun. And if all that goes out the window, maybe look into getting one of these; I saw some peeps wearing them when we jumped off the boat.....
http://www.theswimit.com/

[4matic]

You need to get the quick siting stroke down. It's in the middle of your stroke and you take a peak at your line. It's a quick look so it does not disrupt your rhythm. Doing breast stroke to site your line will destroy your rhythm.

[XXX-er]

Assuming you do the training and have the distance down I would make sure the wind and tidal current doesn't blow you away off course

I have done safety boats for half a doz short course triathlons and its interesting how the newb has easily done the distance in a pool following that line on the bottom but but put them in a smallish lake and they freak

[nickwm21]

Have the wife rent a 2 seat kayak and stick with you

[basinbeater]

Lotta good feedback here. Got some thinking to do about this one. And crackin on the swimming. Not really concerned about overall fitness, but sounds like there are other variables I need to get a better grasp on. And maybe this idea hit me a little to close the actual trip time.

[nickwm21]

I have done safety boats for half a doz short course triathlons and its interesting how the newb has easily done the distance in a pool following that line on the bottom but but put them in a smallish lake and they freak

My high school polo team used to swim the Waikiki Bay every year during our bye day at the HI Invitational. Despite being 18 and able to swim 7k plus legs in the pool, that swim would fuck people up.

[XXX-er]

yeah i have done the tri safety in small shallow lakes and it fucks people up ... its all in the head of course

http://skeenawatershed.com/swim

624kms down one of the last unfucked up rivers in the world some of it class 4 ... a real swim

[lionelhutz]

Open water swimming requires high windmill style arms for freestyle. It's actually more of the modern stroke now anyway.

You best learn to breath AWAY from the waves.

[4matic]

You best learn to breath AWAY from the waves.

I still can't breath to my right in normal sequence.

[Huck_Schmuck]

Plenty of drunk charter boats around to help make it harder...

(no sharks in case you actually were worried about that)

[::: :::]

(no sharks in case you actually were worried about that)

oh, come on
surely there's at least a kraaken
or a mutated sea bass

[The AD]

Have the wife rent a 2 seat kayak and stick with you

This. No way you should attempt this without a safety boat. I hope you're not thinking of attempting it without out. Even if you think it will be a walk in the park you don't want to get run down by a boat that doesn't see you in the middle of the channel.

Otherwise it should not be a difficult swim if conditions are good. 4k is not that far.