Ocean swimming is HARD
To preface I know I’m capable of swimming 3+ miles continuously at a respectable pace. I also did an open water swim at a lake a couple weeks ago for 2 miles. In short, my strength/stamina is there.
Yesterday I went to the ocean and wanted to test myself. I know this shouldn’t be done alone, but I don’t have anyone I know that is a capable swimmer especially in the ocean. So I decided to swim sideways along the shoreline, and damn was it humbling… the waves crashing on me did not allow for any rhythm, also the water was beyond freezing even in my wetsuit.
In my defense though, the waves were really crazy, the biggest I’ve ever seen on the east coast, so it might be an outlier experience (idk)
I have a few questions regarding this:
-Are races held even when conditions are as bad as this?
-Do race organizers set race dates based on better swim conditions or is it random?
-Even if waves are crazy, I’d imagine as you go deeper in the ocean it gets calmer, is that true?
Thanks in advance!!!