First open water swim!

IMG_1149

I went for my first open water swim in my wet suit!

We went to the local pond with another family to hang out over the weekend and enjoy the nice weather, and I decided it’d be the perfect chance to try out my wet suit in the open water.

I envisioned me swimming way out, floating on my back to rest, really getting in some yardage and gaining some confidence in the water.

What really happened was my rotator cuff hurt after about 50 yards because I didn’t pull one of the wetsuit sleeves up high enough, and I ended up swimming back and forth along the beach in chest deep water because the milfoil at the pond was so bad. I did about 125 yards and then went and played bocce with my friends. (But hey, my rotator cuff feels fine and I at least got out there.)

If you’re not familiar with milfoil, it’s an invasive water plant that is extremely hard to get rid of. All those signs in lake regions stating boaters must remove plants? Milfoil is one of the plants they’re worried about.

IMG_1148
This is a photo I took of the milfoil on the pond last year from my paddleboard; I had hoped it’d be cleaner close to the beach where I wanted to swim.

See why? It can ruin a body of water for swimming and even boating. (I could barely paddle through this and boy did I hope my board didn’t tip.) Not to mention what it does to animal and indigenous plant life.

There’s something very disconcerting about having a whole bunch of fuzzy, slimy green plants about 4 inches from your face and grabbing your ankles while you’re trying to swim.

I could handle the occasional plant; but swimming through a carpet that your goggles force you to look at?

It was too much.

Back to the pool for me; but there are a lot of other bodies of water in the area, I’ll find a great spot to test it in the lake, and my goal is to make it into the ocean by June!

Clean off those boat motors, and think twice before fertilizing your lawn… the run-off from fertilizer another key component to the over-growth of invasive plants in lakes.

The whole experience was another reminder to expect obstacles; don’t leave trying on your wet suit or finding open water to practice in until the last minute!

Share:

Leave a Reply