How do you OWS safely/legally? (Page 2)

Thanks for all of the replies, and for pointing out the things I didn't think about!

The lake in question was pointed out to me by another BTer.  She mentioned going there with a few others in the spring, so I will contact her again and find out their routine.  The triathlon community where I live is small to non-existent, but I'll continue to try networking with others.

My safest option thus far is a designated lake about 1 hr 20 min from me where we can swim pier to pier within a rope.  I'll measure that distance next time we go.

 

  "Second would probably be Kailua Beach Park. I usually just swim outside the swimming area bouys which makes it about 700 meters. I could easily go longer but the currents are stronger here and there are sometimes a lot of kite surfers whipping around."

I swim at Kailua beach about twice a week the bouys are perfect for praciticing bouy spotting.  I also like to swim out to flat island...FYI dive bouys are great for keeping boats kayaks and kite surfers away....

One thing you might want to look into is why the lake is not open for swimming...some lakes have high levels of pollution or dangerous wildlife like gators or snakes.

Edited by chapman5410 2009-12-27 8:27 PM

This is my little swimming hole. It's 3300 yds around the perimeter, spring fed and crystal clear. I typically will start my swim just before dawn and watch the sunrise as I swim. Most of the time I swim alone but welcome any company anytime. It's not Hawaii but I love this lake.

Ala Moana is good for sighting as well. Since the markers are 500m apart it forces you go keep an eye out and check your line regularly. Ala Moana pretty much always has better conditions than Kailua which can get quite sloppy in the wind.

I swim in Lake Huron, when I am at home there is a life guarded beach and I swim just inside the 'no boat' marker line.  If I start down the beach from the life gurad I can swim for aprox 1000m each way.  When I am out of town working I go to the public beach at Inverhuron provincial park.  They have the same markers in a sheltered bay and I can go around 800m each way there.  There is no lifeguard at Inverhuron but I am usually only 50m or so from where I can stand up and always wear my wetsuit when I am alone.
I was really worried about boats when I started OWS but they never seem to get too close to the marker line, its the dim wits on the PWC's that think they can go anywhere and cruise into the beach to try and pick up that worry me.

One other thing you should keep in mind when swimming in the morning or evening is the sun if there are boaters or worse PWC's. 

As a lifelong boater I can tell you that when you are heading into the sun with the light bouncing off the water it is almost impossible to see a swimer or even something as big as a kyak. 

If it is a lake where traffic is in one direction, swim on the side where the boat would have the sun at his back.  If you can't do this stay very close to shore.

The neighborhood where i live is on a nice lake and that's usually where i OWS...

If I go on a LONG swim (30-75 minutes), i'll have my wife trail me w/a kayak/paddle/extra life vest....

On short swims I usually swim alone along the shoreline where i can still touch OR swim back n forth between two piers so no boats can get me...

Admittedly, I have had a few close calls w/ boats...but i stay constantly on the "look out" b/c boaters don't pay attention at all...I say that only b/c where i usually swim is b/w the "community piers" which is where the swimming beach is (i.e. an area where everyone knows swimmers will be)...if I go kayak w/ the wife, it's only during non-peak hours (after work, during the week). 

I tried the boat escort once and it didn't work at all. Even at barely idle, the boat was way too fast and had to keep making these large circles around us. Kayaks work much better and it's really easy to grab the rope on the stern to take a breather or get pulled a bit. The kayaker has a whistle, neon jacket and throwable flotation.

The scariest thing for me about OWS is the boat traffic. You are very small in the water and even a neon cap is barely visble. Still, I always wear a bright cap over my neoprene cap. A swim safe seems like a good idea, also a lifeguard rescue buoy. A bouy will present a bigger object to boaters, is a bright color and provides flotation should you run into trouble.

Luckily, around here there are some really good places to swim so even though the water is cold, I really can't complain. Sometimes I go right after work which is REALLY nice.

The biggest advantage of that as a safety boat is the high visibility.  But even the trolling motor may be faster than the swimmers.  Even with the kayak, I sometimes stop paddling for a minute or two.  Also, the high visibility works against your swimmers - as someone mentioned, if they need to stop for a moment or two to catch a breath, it is a lot easier to grab the gunwales or deck line of a kayak.  There is a reason that most safety boats you see at the races are kayaks.  Whenever I've seen bigger boats, they were there in order to mark a course boundary. 

Maybe if you had another person with you in a kayak, you could set up a much better OWS course - use your boat to mark an end point (or even a turn), and the GPS to measure the course distance.  The kayaker could then stay near the swimmer, and using a garmin, give a better estimate of actual swim distance (rather than course distance), so the swimmer can practice open water sighting and staying on course.

I swim in an old quarry.  Yes, it has fish & turtles.  Haven't actually noticed any snakes.    The Health Club has installed bouys around the edge of the quarry.  If you swim around the bouys it's 1/2 mile.  Plus its like 60 feet deep. So it's OWS, but with the boyes about 125 yards apart.  If I get a cramp, should be able to get to one of the bouys with attached floating platforms..

Hey, that sounds like a really nice set-up.

It's about 15 miles south of Binghamton, just into Pa. It makes for a great B-S-B workout.