Adventure School: Master of the waves
Pardon the pun but Ocean Swimming is riding a wave of popularity. Any given week almost all through the year, there will be a race somewhere in Australia. Perhaps it is the ocean’s negative ions (which have a positive effect) combined with endorphins of exercise that make this sport so addictive.
The sport of ocean swimming appeals to all ages, with the over 40’s often being the most highly contested. Swimming by its nature is therapeutic and does not cause undue wear and tear on muscles and joints as running can do.
There are two distinct types of swims; the journey swim such as The Palm Beach to Whale beach swim in Sydney where you swim from point A from point B, and the set course around buoys, usually in some bay such as in a surf lifesaving race around a string of cans set out beyond the break zone in deep water. The average distance of ocean swims is around 1.5 kilometres; some however can get up around 3 to 5 kilometres or higher.
Ocean swims have different feel to them depending on what state you’re in. In NSW for instance, it’s more purist and strictly no wetsuits - its man or woman versus the ocean with just a thin lycra barrier for protection. In Victoria the culture is a bit more ‘rubber dub dub,’ and it’s wetsuits galore, even when the water is warm.
Wetsuit or no wetsuit, young or old, an ocean swim is something worth doing. If you’re keen to give it a go, you can select an event to set your sights on at www.oceanswims.com.
In the meantime whether you are a novice or a seasoned ‘shark bait’ campaigner here are my top 10 tips for swimming well in the ocean. Bon voyage.
1. Swim the first stage of the course in warm up. Swim straight out from the start point for 75 meters or so, look back to shore and check whether there is any discernable drift. By compensating for this in the race you can gain valuable time in turning the first marker buoy.
2. Practice your wading going into the water. Keep your knees up and wade over the smaller waves. Duck dive when the water is over a meter deep. Use the bottom for propulsion in a porpoise motion. Porpoising conserves more energy than wading.
3. In larger surf dive under waves don’t try to swim through them. In big surf dive to the bottom, grab the sand bring your feet to your hands and dive up at 45 degrees to the back of the wave above you.
4. Make sure you wear goggles with good visibility. Awareness and knowing where you are in terms of other swimmers, waves and the next turning markers is of paramount importance in covering a course efficiently.
5. Look for clear water where you can navigate and determine your best course. In the ocean you will look around much more than in a pool. Top ocean swimmers develop forward-looking breathing into their ocean stroke. It’s no use just following the person in front; set your own course and develop your own skills!
6. The swimming stroke in the ocean is a more rough and ready one. Like the difference between riding a mountain bike and riding in the velodrome. You may find it beneficial to adopt higher arm recovery with rounder elbow position to compensate for chop.
7. Pace yourself at a speed you can keep up. No use dying and floundering for three quarters of the race because you wasted all your energy early. Keep energy for the gruelling finish and wave catching.
8. Use the ocean - don’t fight against it. Anticipate drifts and swells to help you get around marker buoys with the least amount of energy.
9. On the way home lift your tempo with any swells. You can get valuable meters by moving with these waves.
10. To benefit from body surfing in a race, you will need to practice it as an art beforehand. Body surfing in a race is ten times as hard due to fatigue and shortness of breath.
Hamish Cameron is an Australian surf race champion and has won and placed in many of the biggest ocean swims in the world, including the Pier to Pub in Lorne, the Cole Classic in Sydney, and the Waikiki Rough water in Hawaii.
Hamish continues to swim and surf, and runs a boutique surf fashion company called RAIFE (www.raife.com.au) from the beautiful seaside town of Barwon Heads in Victoria.
