Dave’s Top Ten Reasons To Love
Open Water by DAVE BARRA

#10 No Chlorine
For a few months each year, I am grateful to exchange the dehydrating effects of chlorinated water on my skin and hair for the dehydrating effects of sun and salt. This is not to say that one needn't worry about overexposure to the sun; listen to your mother – wear sunscreen (a good waterproof one, and reapply often)…and apply bodyglide to those "prone to chafe" areas of your epiderm – mainly a consideration in salt water.

#9 Fog
Yes fog. There is something truly magical about swimming through dense fog. It shrouds a familiar swimming hole in mystery. It seems strange that when I drive down scenic roads that are familiar to me, in the fog, I tend to feel claustrophobic and tense. Yet in the water, the effect is quite the opposite. The visual limitation renders a small lake infinite, an added bonus is that typically (in my neck of the woods, anyway) fog is an early morning phenomenon. That means the air is still, and the water like glass. This always seems like the best time to swim as silently as possible (think Mail Slot!) So...find a buddy; go to a lake in the early morn…build up to a blistering pace (shoulder to shoulder)…then see if you can avoid disturbing the stillness.

#8 Rain
I'm not talking about a sorry little drizzle, but rather those cloudburst, cats ‘n dogs, torrential downpours that will make even the most fashion-conscious pull a hefty bag overhead while running for cover. The decibel level rises as millions of fat droplets condense, fall, and reach terminal velocity before exploding into the water. Roll over and swim some backstroke; See how long before impact you can identify those drops that will crash onto your goggles. Try not to blink. (Betcha can't do it). Thunder and lightning are another story. A general rule is wait 30 minutes after hearing thunder before going in the water. I have my own notions but will spare you the details.

#7 Waves
Love the waves! Let me clarify; leave the gnarly pipelines and big kahunas to the surfer dudes, but a steady wind of 20 knots and.... my heart beats faster just thinking about it. Swimming “rough” is probably more counter-intuitive than any other water activity; the more you fight, the more you lose. When swimming parallel to waves, anchor wider than usual: This gives you a more stable base. Hang your head: This minimizes wind (and wave) resistance. Be patient and deliberate when breathing: Choking isn’t cool. If the water wants to roll you, go with it. Many of us played with the "corkscrew" (one stroke back, one crawl, one back, etc) when we were younger; enjoy it again. Finally, there’s no better feeling than body-surfing to the finish line of an open-water race.

#6 Creatures
The first thing you may be asked after sharing your modest obsession for sea-swimming is: "Are there sharks in that water?" Umm...yeah...it’s where they live, but I’m more concerned with other things... like sea lice. Sea lice are actually jellyfish larvae. They get under your suit and under your skin (think chiggers) and itch like hell and... Most encounters are thoroughly pleasant though. Last summer at Brighton Beach I swam over a convention of spider crabs – hundreds of them marching across the sandy bottom 15 feet below. Strange that I worked as a lifeguard there for five summers (20+ years ago) and never saw a single one. At Lake Minnewaska, a swimmer’s path will often be crossed by a northern water snake (totally harmless – unless you're a tadpole). Every swim we took in Eleuthera last year at the TI Open Water Camp (shameless plug...mark your calendar and register now for this December) was a visual feast. The trick is not losing your Marionette Arm focal point every time you see a barracuda.



#5 Scenery: Natural
The magic hours – dusk and dawn – become more poignant from the water, particularly the moment when the “lights go on” as the sun breaks from behind a cloud or peeks above the treeline at dawn. When the latter occurs, it’s like a warm maternal embrace for an orphan in a blizzard (all-purpose metaphor – I once used it to describe a particularly smooth single malt). The water changes from opaque to crystal in an instant, and I open my eyes wide, as if I can capture the rays of light penetrating the surface and fading into the deep.

#4 Scenery: Architectural
Millions of people drive across the Brooklyn Bridge each year and thousands walk across. About 150 people swim across, and about 30 or 40 swim perpendicular to it while heading up the East River. (You could be one of 'em if you enter the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim). It sure looks different from down in the brine, and if you're thinking "well, I could just hop on a boat and share the experience," go back and reread the “swim from light into shadow” part. That experience is heightened crossing under a bridge. Backstroke not mandatory, but highly recommended. I like tall buildings and large ships as much as anybody but no man-made structure could be more inviting to a swimmer than one designed to move millions of people from one land mass to another without getting wet.

#3 Racing: Pre-race Strategy
I’m amazed by how much time I spent thinking about the race I did earlier this month – the USMS 2-Mile Cable Championship at Lake Placid. It started a year ago at a similar race on the same course – the Betsy Owens Memorial Lake Swim (though not a national championship in 2006). Immediately after I started recruiting fellow swimmers: "Are you thinking of doing Lake Placid next year…it’s a national championship you know…you'll love it... the cable is about a meter under water and you can follow it the whole way without ever lifting your head."

It continued through the spring: " Did you sign up?…bypass surgery?...can't it wait until September?...oh, well good luck…it won't be the same without you."

And the weeks leading up to the event: "I see you've seeded yourself with the same time as me…don't think that I’ll do all the work for you…I might just drop in behind you...let you set the pace...see how you like that." Then, a moment of fear that this could turn into a slow-motion strategic battle of attrition where no one will take the lead. But this is not realistic. Experience has shown that given the quantities of caffeine I’m likely to consume before a race, a polite "No, really, after you...I insist" is just not possible.

#2 Racing: Post-race Analysis
When it’s all over and the last swimmer is in, and the results are posted is when things get interesting. Would have; could have; should have. Where did that guy come from? Next time I know who to watch for! It’s striking how the experience of someone swimming just a few yards away can be completely different than mine. I love to hear the heroic tales of angry seas conquered over a post-race bagel or banana. I can dissect a swim for a time exponentially greater than its actual duration and it does seem to assist Clare into restful slumber on the drive home. If I’m lucky, when I do arrive home and check e-mail, there, waiting for my response......." So, at the third buoy, did you know so and so was behind you?" Yes! It continues.

#1 Camaraderie
Indeed OW swimming is a sport (an utterly different one from pool racing, but that’s a whole other article), and most events are quite competitive; but that’s an almost-trivial part of its appeal. I would much rather swim a race surrounded by friends and get the Speedo beaten off me than to swim alone and win. (Win what?) The OW “circuit” draws a certain type, and year after year so many of the same people show up that it doesn't take long to recognize many familiar faces. I’m happy to say that after 10 years of OW competition, I have many friends and acquaintances that I spend the winter looking forward to seeing again as much as I look forward to the swimming. So make sure to say hello if you see me at Coney Island or Lake Minnewaska or Chesapeake Bay or Lake Placid or John’s Pond or Lake George or the Hudson River or Point Lookout or Huntington Bay or Island Beach or Eleuthera. (mark your calendar) or…



June through September, Dave Barra breaks from stonecrafting to swim at Lake Minnewaska in the Shawangunk Ridge as frequently as possible. He “recruited” his wife Clare into OW swimming as they celebrated their 18th anniversary by swimming Grimaldo’s Mile together on August 5th.