Swimming

Captain Tim Johnson attempted to solve one of the most vexing problems in open water swimming. It has to do with swimming around curves in river swims. The question is which is faster: cutting the corner or swimming out with the faster current on the outside edge? For swims like the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim or certain swims that go around peninsulas or islands, it is an answer worth investigating. "It turns out the radius of the curve, the speed of the river going into the curve, and the width of the river are factors in that decision. The author of History of Open-Water Marathon Swimming continues, "This has a tangential application in a proposed swim, say in the Florida Straits, because the Gulf Stream is going around a big, big curve, a 90-mile-wide river that takes a 90º left turn, and then narrows. When a river turns either to the right or the left, the inside shore usually will have a shallower depth due to the slower water dropping particles that were being carried along in the faster moving water. The water as it enter the bend will want to keep going straight and as the inner bank turns away, an eddy develops. Depending on the extent of the bend, some eddies can occupy from ¼ to ½ the width of the river. This forces even more water into a narrower part along the outside shore creating a fast channel. The course through the bend depends on (1) the speed of the current entering, (2) the severity of the turn, (3) the depth of the river, and (4) the width of the river. The idea is to avoid the eddy along the inside shore. Of the four variables, three are constant so a good answer on one current may be the wrong answer on a faster current. My suggestion is to stay with the faster current for as long as possible but avoid going to the outside shore. On slow currents, turn when 1/3 past the start of the bend but wait no more than 2/3 on fast currents. In the graphic, red is shallow water, yellow is the nominal depth, with green to blue increasing graduated depth showing the channel cut by the fast water." Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

PHOENIX, Arizona, May 23. MIKE Hoppe, the coach behind Winn Aung's recent national age group national record joins today's edition of The Morning Swim Show. Hoppe joined the coaching staff at Re...

TULARE, California, May 22. The girls title at the CIF Central Section Division 2 Swimming and Diving Championships, held May 17-18, was decided by just seven points. The Kingsburg Lady Vikings edged ...

Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone and everything is six people or fewer steps away from any other person in the world. That is "a friend of a friend of a friend..." statement can be made to connect any two people on earth with a maximum of six steps. We know this is true in the open water swimming world. It is sometimes fun to tie terra firma celebrities with open water swimmers. Oprah Winfrey and Alex Meyer Oprah Winfrey is friends with (1) Susan Casey who was the editor of Oprah's O Magazine who was the college swim teammate of (2) Pam Lazzarotto who trains with (3) Lexie Kelley who competed with (4) Trent Grimsey who raced against (5) Alex Meyer around the world. Tom Cruise and Lexie Kelly Tom Cruise was the star in the movie The Last Samurai where he learned to love the high-tech Japanese toilets of TOTO. Upon returning home, he ordered 5 TOTO toilets from the American subsidiary where (2) Steven Munatones worked who paddled for (3) Lexie Kelley at the Slam the Dam event in Las Vegas. Kevin Bacon and Kevin Murphy Kevin Bacon appeared in Flatliners with (2) Julia Roberts who appeared in Ocean's Eleven with (3) Matt Damon who played in the movie Good Will Hunting with (4) Ben Affleck who directed the movie Argo about political issues in the Middle East that have been covered by (5) Kevin Murphy as a reporter. Kobe Bryant and Ashley Twichell Kobe Bryant, one of the world's most famous basketball players in the world, asked (1) Chloe Sutton to explain to him about swimming at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Chloe trains under (2) Coach Bill Rose and together with (3) Ashley Twichell daily at the Mission Viejo Nadadores. President Obama and Ned Denison President Obama, a graduate of the Punahou School on Oahu, visits Hawaii on vacation where he body surfs and where (1) Kenny Rust lifeguards who formerly worked for (2) Ralph Goto who is the chief lifeguard overseeing the Waikiki Roughwater Swim that (3) Kaia Hedlund organizes who knows (4) Ned Denison from the Global Open Water Swimming Conference. Within the open water swimming world, it is so easy... Forrest Nelson and Ram Barkai Forrest Nelson was the Observer of (1) Stephen Redmond's Catalina Channel crossing. Stephen is the Irish colleague of (2) Nuala Moore (shown above) who is an ice swimmer and proud recipient of the Red Jacket given by the International Ice Swimming Association founded by (3) Ram Barkai. And from the perspective of Barkai: Ram Barkai organized the Cadiz Freedom Swim in which (1) Barbara Held participated who volunteers for the Catalina Channel Swimming Association that is presided over by (2) Forrest Nelson. But sometimes 6 is not enough...if you connect the pool and the open water: Michael Phelps and Lynn Kubasek Michael Phelps was on the USA Olympic Swim Team with coach (1) Tim Murphy who coaches marathon swimmer (2) Alex Meyer who graduated from Harvard University where (3) Matt Damon also studied. Matt appeared in Ocean's Eleven with (4) Julia Roberts who appeared in the movie Larry Crowne with (5) Tom Hanks who named a washed-up volleyball (6) Wilson who is the mascot of the (7) Oak Streakers of Laguna Beach where (8) Lynn Kubasek is a stalwart member. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

Murray Cox reminds the global marathon swimming community that the last swim in Sydney, Australia took place this Sunday. The South Head Roughwater Swim is an annual 10 km marathon swim from North Bondi Beach heading along the coastline to South Head, then into Sydney Harbour with a finish at Watsons Bay in Australia. The 10 km swim with nearly a 100 swimmers between soloists and teams takes a course from Bondi to Watsons Bay that is nearly all along a shoreline of sheer sandstone cliffs. South Head Roughwater Swim 19th May 2013 from Murray Cox on Vimeo. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

The II MARNATON eDreams Cup 2013 in Formentera, Spain is back. After a successful inaugural edition in 2012, Marlén González López announced the MARNATON eDreams Cup 2013 in Formentera, Spain. MARNATON is a project and brand created by Miguel Rahola together with Mirentxu Vignau and a host of other open water swimming collaborators in the Catalonia region of Spain. MARNATON is a combination of three Spanish words: MAR (sea) + NATACIÓN (swimming) + MARATHON. Since 2008 Marnaton's objective has been to promote marathon swimming with a special focus on safety, the environment and creating a family atmosphere, thus promoting a healthier lifestyle, and respect for the environment. The MARNATON eDreams Cup 2013 consists of 6 races, starting on June 1st: 1. 4.5 km La Luna crossings on 1 June in Calong along the Cala Cristus 2. 1.2 km MARNATON eDreams La Luna I 3. 6 m MARNATON eDreams Sant Feliu de Guíxols II between Canyet and Sant Feliu at the end of June 4. 6.5 km MARNATON eDreams Cap de Creus – Cadaqués VI, along the coastline of Alt Empordà, from Cala Jugadora to Platja Gran 5. 11 km MARNATON eDreams Formentera (Espalmador) I on the island of Formentera 6. 4 km MARNATON eDreams Formentera (es Pas) I around Formentera’s coastline For more information, visit here. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

We fondly recall the lecture that Captain Tim Johnson gave at the Global Open Water Swimming Conference in New York City, called Swimming in the Stream. We learned a tremendous amount of basic and advanced information on how to best swim around a peninsula and other situations that open water swimmers find themselves in different situation. One of the elementary facts that Captain Johnson shared was the difference between offshore and onshore sea breezes. An onshore breeze is when the wind direction brings a cooling wind from the ocean towards land. It occurs during the day. At night the breeze reverses after a lull. An offshore breeze flows from the land out towards the sea. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

We fondly recall the lecture that Captain Tim Johnson gave at the Global Open Water Swimming Conference in New York City, called Swimming in the Stream. We learned a tremendous amount of basic and advanced information on how to best swim around a peninsula and other situations that open water swimmers find themselves in different situation. One of the elementary facts that Captain Johnson shared was the definition of an onshore sea breeze. An onshore breeze is when the wind direction brings a cooling wind from the ocean toward land. It occurs during the day. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

In an imaginary fantasy world, what would happen if there were no H2O in open bodies of water? What if the liquid element in the aquatic world were something other than water? We have some ideas: If the open water world consisted of chocolate milk, it would be hard to see under the surface, but it would be a sweet activity. If it consisted of a chocolate shake, forward movement would be impossible over time. If the open water world consisted of beer, swimmers might gain weight and get a little tipsy. If the open water world consisted of red wine, swimmers might gain a rosy hue to their skin and emerge from their swims smiling. If the open water world consisted of apple juice, everything would have a yellow tint to it and grannies would take to the sport. If the open water world consisted of melted chocolate, nearly everyone in the world would be a swimmer and winds would kick up chocolate spray to the delight of escort crews and kayakers. If the open water world consisted of carbonated soda, buoyancy would not be an issue, but cavities would be. Copyright © 2013 by Open Water SwimmingFrom Open Water Source's Daily News of Open Water Swimming

Breaststroke - Long Stroke from GoSwim.tv. Like this? Watch the latest episode of GoSwim.tv on Blip! http://blip.tv/goswimtv/watch Why Do It:While there will always be variables in breaststroke, hereapos;s an option for a longer stroke and some key points that need to be considered in this approach.