Swimmer's Daily

  • Nearly every surfer has experienced the sensation: pinned to the ocean bottom, trying to swim for the surface, desperate for a few quick gasps of air to avoid what might happen if they don’t. It’s a scary moment and therefore, a tough time to stay composed — even the pros say so. According to Kurt Krack, who teaches a surf survival course around breath holding, composure is key. While on the North Shore, six Oakley surfers took part in Krack’s two-day course to better prepare themselves for the type of hold-downs and life-threatening situations that come with competitive surfing and freesurfing waves like Teahupoo, Pipeline, Jaws and many of the other heavy-water breaks around the world.

    https://youtu.be/3KqaJzesyzI

  • In 1968, when he was appointed to the Pinellas-Pasco circuit court bench, Beach was in his late 30s, smoking three packs a day, and couldn’t go up a flight of stairs without breathing hard. He quit cold turkey and went back to the sport he had enjoyed in high school, swimming. That led to his competition in masters swimming events.

    In addition to prolonging his life by improving his physical condition, swimming is good for him mentally, Beach says. “It’s gotten me through some personal problems in my life, like my divorce. I’ve made some of my best law decisions right there in the pool. I’ve got all this time by myself, nobody is interrupting me and I’ll be thinking about some case and decide, ‘That’s what I’m going to do.’ It’s a great influence, emotionally and physically.”

    Read ABA Journal

    Photo by Lee Edwin Coursey

  • Paul Gallihawk, 34, disappeared during the 750-metre open water swim at the start of a triathlon at Leybourne Lakes in Maidstone, Kent, on Saturday.

    His body was found in the lake yesterday by search teams.

    The advertising consultant had set up a Just Giving fundraising page to raise money for Kings College Hospital in South London which had cared for his father last year.

    It had a target of £300 but today had reached more than 40 times the figure as wellwishers donated in his memory.

    Read Evening Standard

  • An Alabama video has gone viral after two fisherman encountered a couple of unexpected guests swimming towards their boat on Saturday.

    Jason Frost and Brandon Key were enjoying a normal day of fishing on the Warrior River when two kittens swam up to their boat.

    Frost and Key pulled the kittens out of the water and into their boat. There is no word yet on whether the kittens have been placed in a home yet.

    See for instance wtnh

  • A La Mesa family has its camera back a day after 10News shared the camera’s contents.

    “My phone was about to die. I looked at it,” said Alycen Haynesworth. “A girlfriend had texted me and said, ‘they found your waterproof camera and you’re on 10News. LOL.’”

    San Diego divers Mark Schulze and Patty Mooney found the waterproof camera 25 feet underwater off La Jolla Cove last week.

    They posted the pictures on Facebook and Craigslist but didn’t get any hits. They shared the pictures with 10News on Monday. Schulze got a call from Haynesworth’s husband that night.

    The family was reunited with hundreds of photos and a few videos just a few hundred yards from where it was found.

    Haynesworth said the pictures, which go as far back as 2011, are irreplaceable.

    See 10News

  • University of Miami Professor Claire Paris broke the USA Women’s National Freediving record in the freediving discipline of Dynamic No Fins with a three minutes and seven seconds swim of 128 meters (420 feet) on a single breath. She was competing with twelve other athletes in the first annual event.

    “I am very happy and grateful with this National Record accomplishment. It is a reflection of my connection with water and the ocean,” said Paris, director of the Physical-Biological Interactions Laboratory at the UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. “I have dedicated my life to the study and conservation of the ocean and freediving makes me feel one with the water.”

    As an ocean scientist at the UM Rosenstiel School Claire Paris spends days observing the movements of tiny fish larvae in a unique underwater drifting laboratory. She has developed scientific instruments to listen to, and observe these important, but often unnoticed, life forms on the reefs and in the open ocean. Another powerful component to her scientific approach is how she interacts with her research subjects underwater. Paris uses her talent as a certified freediver to minimize any human disturbance to her research subjects.

    The competition took place during the California Cup freediving competition at the Culver City Plunge Community Pool. Dynamic No Fins is performed by swimming without fins in a pool with the athlete holding their breath swimming as far as they can. Distance is measured with the use of a metered tape measure. Paris added three meters / ten feet to the record previously held by Shell Eisenberg of Hawaii.

    See UM Rosenstiel School

  • Founded nearly a decade ago, the ‘Always With A Smile’ foundation has grown into one of the most inspiring and successful non-profit goodwill movements in the UK.

    At its heart is the belief that every single one of us has the power to make a positive impact on the world through the power of a smile!

    Its aims are simple… Firstly, to raise money and awareness for charities and good causes. Secondly, to inspire and motivate people to do something that they and never before considered. And finally, to make the world a happier place by putting a smile on the face of as many people as possible.

    Website: https://www.alwayswithasmile.com

  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are risks of swimming with contact lenses.

    The CDC advised people who wear contact lenses not to swim or shower with these still in contact with their eyes. Infections and injuries can result, according to a recent survey.

    About 40 million people in the United States prefer wearing contact lenses over eyeglasses. There have also been millions who went to an eye doctor to get treated for various related conditions, such as keratitis, described as an inflammation of the cornea.

    The CDC previously pointed out how 40 to 90 percent of contact lens wears fail to properly follow the guidelines, which may explain why about 1 in 500 people who wear contact lenses develop serious eye infections each year. Less than 50% of those who wear contact lenses reported cleaning the lens cases. If cleaning practices improved, the number of moderate to severe infections could be cut to half. Cases should further be replaced at least once every three months.

    Other findings by the CDC showed that 87.1% napped with the lenses still on. 84.9% showered with the lenses on. 82.3% did not replace the lenses as often as recommended. 61% swam withthese on, increasing the risks of swimming with contact lenses. 55.1% “topped off” the lens solution and 50.2% slept with the lenses on overnight. About one-third reported having had a contact lens-related red or painful eye that made doctor’s visit necessary.

    Read ischoolguide

    Photo by andy.simmons

  • Katie Ledecky. With the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio less than a year away, it’s a name you should get used to hearing. Earlier this month, the 18-year-old swimmer won five gold medals and set two world records at the world swimming championships in Russia. She also became the first swimmer to sweep the 200, 400, 800 and 1500-meter freestyle.

    If you watched any of Ledecky’s races, you may have noticed the camera pan to a young man in the stands pumping his fist in the air. That’s her older brother Michael.

    The Ledecky siblings joined Bill Littlefield to talk about their close relationship and their earliest days in the pool.

    See wbur