Open Water Swimming Manual An Expert's Survival Guide for Triathletes and Open Water Swimmers

by COX, LYNNE

• ISBN13: 9780345806093
• ISBN10: 0345806093
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-07-30
• Publisher: Vintage

Summary

Lynne Cox has set open water swimming records across the world, and now she has focused her decades-long experience and expertise into this definitive guide to swimming.

Open Water Swimming Manual provides a wealth of knowledge for all swimmers, from seasoned triathletes and expert swimmers to beginners exploring open water swimming for the first time. 

Cox methodically addresses what is needed to succeed at and enjoy open water swimming, including choosing the right bathing suit and sunscreen; surviving in dangerous weather conditions, currents, and waves; confronting various marine organisms; treating ailments, such as being stung or bitten, and much more. Cox calls upon Navy SEAL training materials and instructors’ knowledge of open water swimming and safety procedures to guide her research. In addition, first-hand anecdotes from SEAL specialists and stories of Cox’s own experiences serve as both warnings and proper practices to adopt.
 
Open Water Swimming Manual is the first manual of its kind to make use of oceanography, marine biology, and to weave in stories about the successes and failures of other athletes, giving us a deeper, broader understanding of this exhilarating and fast growing sport.

Author Biography

Lynne Cox was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Los Alamitos, California, where she presently lives. She has held open-water swimming records all over the world, for among others, the fastest crossing of the English Channel (at age 15), the Santa Catalina Channel, the twelve-mile Oresund between Denmark and Sweden, and the Kattegut between Norway to Sweden. Cox was the first woman to swim across the Cook Strait in New Zealand, the first to swim across the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle Channel between Argentina and Chile, Lake Baikal in Russia, and around the Cape of Good Hope. In 1987, Cox crossed the Bering Strait to the Soviet Union, and in 2002 swam more than a mile in the 31°F waters off Antarctica. Cox has been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. She is the author of Swimming to Antarctica, Grayson, South with the Sun. Her articles have appeared in many publications, among them The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times Magazine.

"The greatest open water swimmer." —Sports Illustrated

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
 
Introduction
 
Part One: How to Begin
 
Chapter 1: Beginnings
Allure of the Open Water
Expert Sources & Credentials
 
Chapter 2: Equipment
The Swimsuit
Swimsuit Care
Chafing
Skin Lubricant Products
Treatment for Chafing
Sunscreen Products
Sunburn Prevention
Sunburn Treatment
Goggles
Swim Caps
Wet Suits
Swim Skins
 
Chapter 3: Finding an Open Water Swimming Coach and Group
Finding Specific Coaches and Groups
 
Chapter 4: Technical Skills for Open Water Swimming
Swimming Skills Required
Breathing Drills
Head Position in the Water
Feeling the Water to Swim Faster
 
Chapter 5: Research
Selecting a Training Area
Scouting/Walking the Workout Course
Tidal Charts
Water Temperature
Water Quality
Food and Hydration
 
Chapter 6: Into the Open Water
The Stingray Shuffle
Water Entry
Bodysurfing
Waves
Surf
Role of the Tides
Swell Prediction
Moving through the Surf
Over Our Heads: Distress Signals
Riptides
Water Exit
 
Chapter 7: Effects of Heat and Cold
Cold Acclimatization
Hyperthermia and Hypothermia
Heat Acclimatization
Hypothermia
Ice Swimming
After-drop
 
Chapter 8: Sinuses and Ears
Prevention of Infections
 
Chapter 9: Ocean Hazards
Fog
Ships, Boats, Jet Skis, Sailor Boats, Wind Surfers, Kite Surfers, and Surfers
 
Part Two: Beginning and Intermediate Swimmers
 
Chapter 10: Training Swims
Training Safely
Training for a Short Open Water Swim
Training for a Moderate or Long Open Water Swim
 
Chapter 11: Selection For Support & Swim
Skills Required for Kayaker
Kayaker Selection
Kayaker Competency
Swimming Route
 
Part Three: Intermediate & Advanced Swimmers
 
Chapter 12: Open Water Swims Outside the Buoys with Boat Support
Information Gathering/Research
Selecting Support Crew
One Person on the Surface in Charge
Plan for Swim/Mission
Briefing: Explaining the Plan
SEAL Mission Planning
Strategy
Backup Plans
Safety/Operational Risk Management
Emergency Action Plan
Completion of Swim and Rewarming
Debriefing
Further SEAL Advice When Planning a Swim
Recommendations for Long Training Swims and Documentation
 
Chapter 13: Dangerous Marine Organisms
Research Semitropical and Tropical Waters before Swimming
Bristle Worms
Coral Reefs
Fire Coral
Jellyfish
Box Jellyfish
Leptospirosis
Seabather’s Eruption
Sea Cucumbers
Sea Urchin
Seaweed Dermatitis
Scorpion Fish
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish
Stonefish
Stingrays
Country Medicine
Swimmer's Itch
SEALs Recommend U.S. Navy Diving Manual
 
Chapter 14: Sharks
Swimming with Sharks and Rays
Minds In the Water
U.S. Navy Diving Manual on Sharks
First Aid for Shark Bites
 
Part Four: Advanced Swimmers
 
Chapter 15: Into the Dark
Swimming in the Dark
Dark Swims and Illumination
Finding Better Illumination
 
Chapter 16: Sea Sickness
Taking Medications During a Swim
 
Chapter 17: Preparation
Physical Training
Mental Preparation
 
Chapter 18: Going In and out of Consciousness
Deep Mind “Thing”
Sleep
 
Chapter 19: Motivations
Success
Success in Unsuccessful Swims
 
Chapter 20: The English Channel Charts, Contacts, and Pilots
Tidal Charts
You Want to Swim the English Channel?
How Do You Make Contact?
Selecting a Pilot
 
Chapter 21: Catalina and Other Channel Swims
The Catalina Channel Swim
The Santa Barbara Channel Swim
Finding Pilots For the Catalina Channel and Other Swims
Meeting With Pilots Before Hiring Them
Inspect the Boat Before You Swim
Before You Begin Any Channel Swim
Contact the U.S. Coast Guard
Staying Healthy
Boating Safety
Selecting Boat Support for an Organized Swim
Organized Swim Considerations
 
Chapter 22: Swimmer’s Utopia
 
Chapter 23: Stewardship of the Waters
 
Sources for Additional Information
Acknowledgments
Index