Thought it would be fun to do an open water swim this Saturday. Swim from Commercial Pier in Ft Lauderdale to Pompano Pier. 3.1 miles/5K

Ugg, swam into a current the whole way with a quartering swell and a SE breeze wind chop on top. Could not swim a straight line, it sucked! Add to that, about every 5 min a wave would break over me and put me underwater. It hurt all the way, but I did finish under 2 hours, 1:51, a tad slow. Early to bed tonight.

You have a different idea of "fun" than I do. I'm glad you didn't get drowned.

Holy crap, that's awesome. I've done a few triathlons and by far swimming is my nemesis. In Ironman Texas 2016, I took the scenic route - an extra 0.2 miles while I checked out the creeks and feeder streams. I can't swim in a straight line to save my life.

Kudos to you for doing such a distance in salt water!

It's easier if you swim regularly, a lot.

I loved ocean swimming in San Diego. We had a regular Friday "La Jolla Cove Death March" which left from my b-i-l's house right at the La Jolla boundary, ran up the western most road to the Cove, from which we swam over to La Jolla Shores and back, maybe a bit more than 2 miles round trip. Then we put our shoes on and ran back to b-i-l's place, where we cleaned up and went for fajitas and beer, or pizza and beer, etc. as the mood struck us.

This was jolly good fun, but the rule was that if you stepped off at the start, you had to do the while thing. No running to the Cove, deciding it was too cold, etc and ditching, etc. The others were UDT/SEAL mostly. Sometimes the sea was very rough, no matter. A few times it was foggy. To my horror, these lunatics did it anyway, and I swam like a maniac to make sure I didn't lose touch with them. Somehow they knew how to navigate in reduced visibility, and I didn't.

Sounds like a fun adventure. Don't think I could do that today although there was a time.

Damaged my rotator cuff two-three years ago. It took a good year and a half before it didn't hurt to do a few strokes of freestyle.

While it doesn't hurt now kinda afraid to do more than a few laps although I don't get a chance to swim too often these days.

How did you avoid sharks ?

Nice long swim. I did the Alcatraz swim, it was a lot of fun. I would like to do the Golden Gate Bridge swim (when I have time...).

Good times. I did several distance swims back in the day. But those were all on lakes, so minimal current/swells. Never done it in the ocean. Sounds like it would be a lot more challenging.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
How did you avoid sharks ?

I didn't worry about sharks. I'm entitled to professional courtesy.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
How did you avoid sharks ?

I didn't worry about sharks. I'm entitled to professional courtesy.

You stole my joke!

Triathlon- Yeah I swan with a bicycle once. Found it at the end of the dock at Marina park and swam in with it in full scuba gear.

How far offshore were you? The arial map shows the SS Copenhagen Underwater Preserve 2000 feet off shore 1/2 through your route.

quote:

Originally posted by Southflorida-law:

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
How did you avoid sharks ?

I didn't worry about sharks. I'm entitled to professional courtesy.

You stole my joke!

Go ahead and use it. My swimming days are long gone, and I live a hundred miles or more from any shark infested waters now.

Tell 'em I said hi, and thanks. I spent many hundreds of happy hours in their food bowl!

Keep doing that an you might earn a CUT called "bait"

Ha !

I just don't like sharks. Don't like seeing swimmers among them, surfers with sharks, divers with sharks, or very small boats with sharks.

I guess you could say I really don't like sharks period. Losing a limb or getting dragged under the surface and eaten alive, there's just something about that situation that really turns me off.

I feel the same way about alligators and crocodiles, water moccasins, snapping turtles, and pirannas.

I guess you could say I have issues swimming in natural waters, and I've swam in a lot of natural waters in the past. But I've never been in the Amazon, was just kidding about the Pirannas. But not really, I hate them too. Great to look at over a sunset, or watching someone else get eaten, but for me, I'm a landlubber these days.

But my hat is off to you for doing it, it's very impressive and ballsy. PS - I'm also glad you're still alive.

Final results:

1:49:45

39th overall (out of 57) 23rd out of 29 males (lot of young dudes) and I placed 2nd in my age group