On September 16, 2017 the swimming community of the tri-state area will come together again at Belmar Beach, NJ in the largest open swim on the New Jersey Coast to honor the memory of a fellow swimmer, The College of New Jersey’s Michael Heaney and support victims of Traumatic Brain Injury by swimming 1500 Meters for Mike.
Snorkelers in Belize flock to a shark and stingray sanctuary called Shark Ray Alley. They are given the rare opportunity to swim among a large group of hungry nurse sharks. These 10 foot beasts appear ferocious but they are really gentle and curious and they will allow swimmers to join them as they compete for scraps of fish that are dropped from the boat. Although they are capable of biting, like any shark, their mouths are not designed for the same kind of flesh ripping and tearing as some of their more aggressive cousins. These sharks have skin that feels like sandpaper and they bump the swimmers and push past them in their hurry to get the scraps. The swimmers are careful to keep their hands away from the sharks’ mouth and they wear wetsuits if they expect to be in close to the action. Although perfectly safe, being so close to dozens of big and hungry sharks is a very exhilarating experience.
‘Official video report from the fourth stage of X-Waters – the international open water swimming series.’
Lightning concerns cancel rec swim at Paul Nelson Aquatic Center
Keeping young children away from perceived risky activities such as wild outdoor swimming is damaging, according to education expert Dr Sandra Leaton Gray (UCL Institute of Education).
Writing in her book ‘Invisibly Blighted: the digital erosion of childhood‘ Leaton Gray says, “Heavily supervised young children of today may simply be more likely to drown as youths because they don’t go swimming very often and their water safety awareness is low, compared to that of children who swim frequently under less supervision.”
There were 17 deaths by drowning of young people aged 10 to 19 in outside waters (including lakes, ponds and rivers) in England in 2015.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Leaton Gray said young people were being deterred from dipping into waters that were safe by unnecessary “no swimming” signs. “We are banning swimming in more and more places, and by doing so, making it more dangerous for the very young people we are trying to protect.
“Swimming has become an approved activity run by local authorities in special places, which are almost always heavily chlorinated swimming pools, with strict session times.”
Leaton Gray said supervised swimming in rivers and lakes would help reduce the risk and the numbers of lives lost.
“Young people gather in all sorts of dodgy spots that wild swimmers would never venture into and then start taking serious risks without being properly aware of the consequences.”
She will present her paper, ‘How risky is it to be a child?’ at the British Educational Research Association (BERA) conference this week.
Read UCL
We recap 6 days full of action from the 6th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2017 in Indianapolis within 6 minutes.
Introducing Creative Pursuits, The Drum’s new video series uncovering the weird and wonderful hobbies undertaken by the industry’s marketing matter. First up is Wunderman executive creative director Ian Haworth, who rises with the lark six days a week to swim in Hyde Park’s Serpentine lake.
Haworth, rather inexplicably, “can’t get enough of the feeling of cold water”. As a member of the Serpentine Swimming Club he arrives at the lake before 7am come rain or shine in all seasons. Wetsuits are for wimps here, and in the winter months the creative director has been known the crack the ice in the dark of dawn in order to get his cold water fix.
“It’s kind of like a narcotic minus the narcotic, particularly when it’s colder and the water’s less than 10 degrees,” he said. “It just makes you feel so sharp and alive. It is like a real boost every morning.
“You kind of feel pretty chilled out and happy most of the time – and that’s not a bad thing.”
According to the Red Cross, nearly half of Americans can’t swim well enough to save their lives.
Some 700 people participated in Monday’s Waikiki Roughwater Swim. The 2.4-mile grueling race from San Souci to the Hilton beach attracts dozens of swimmers to take on the challenging waters.
With cheers of ‘Go Brahman’ from spectators, confident Brahman Davis, just 8 years old, sprinted up the Hilton beach after two hours.
This year, he defended his title of youngest finisher for the second year in a row. Last year, he finished the race at just 7 years old. It’s annual event that challenges even adult swimmers, but he calls the roughwater ‘easy.’
Brahman’s little sister, 6-year-old Rahlee, hoped to cinch the ‘youngest title’ from her big bro, but after swimming half a mile to the turn buoy, she called it a day. She said it was a fun experience and may try again next year.
“I’m proud of them. It’s just good to have your kids into something that they really enjoy you know. It’s awesome not having to push them. They push us,” said father Chris Davis.
“She really wanted to do it. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna put my cap on. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna swim it,” said mother Courtney Davis.
On the opposite end of the age spectrum, Jim Cotton, 84, became the oldest finisher reaching the finish line in about three hours. He founded the Waikiki Roughwater Swim 48 years ago.
“I started this in 1970 you know. It was easy then. I could do it in under a minute. Now I gotta go an hour or something or 6 hours,” said Cotton.
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