MAKING A SPLASH
THE POPULARITY OF OPEN WATER SWIMMING HAS MUSHROOMED IN RECENT YEARS WITH HUNDREDS OF SWIMMERS TESTING THE WATERS IN A SEASON OF RACING FROM THE 10K LOUGH GILL CHALLENGE TO THE METALMAN SERIES, JENNY MCCUDDEN REPORTS
THE sun is splitting the skies as I make my way towards Rosses Point for my first foray into open water swimming. That it should happen on what is the best day of the year in Sligo so far comes as a welcome relief. The evening glow across the bay on last week’s bank holiday Monday however does not stop the nerves.
My new wetsuit feels like an all over body spanx two sizes too small. I’m wondering how I will manage to change gears never mind swim off shore. The beach is busy with children making the first of the summer sandcastles; the road above is dotted with camper vans enjoying the panoramic view.
‘ How lovely to be on holiday here in this weather,’ I thought.
“I wish I was on holiday,” I said to myself as I scanned the car park for fellow swimmers. They were easy to spot. Some struggled into wetsuits looking like contortionists in training. Others were swinging their arms around in unison. Warming up for the cold.
Everyone had an inflatable orange tow float trailing from their waist - a pre- requisite for Sheila’s class.
“This is so we can see you. It is not a floating device,” she warns us. Swimming instructor Sheila Ryan has been introducing swimmers to the delights of open water sessions for the past number of years. Her evening classes are planned to coincide with the start of the racing season in June.
I feel a child like sense of excitement for what I’m about to try and I’m grinning from ear to ear. But the bite of the Irish Atlantic quickly wipes the smile from my face.
“Brain Freeze,” I hear people shout out as we are instructed to stand waist high and put our heads and arms under the water in a front crawl motion without moving our feet.
“Now lie flat in the water - let the sea get into your wetsuits,” says another instructor Ray McDaid,“You have to get completely wet to stay warm.”
A few splashes later and the thirty or so swimmers were off - sporadically making our way to the first buoy.
“Don’t all rush at once. Swim in groups,” says Sheila, “And remember this is just the warm up. Don’t go at full throttle.”
There was no fear of that happening in my particular case. I was too busy trying to get over the shock of not swimming in a clam clear pool. The poor visibility was disconcerting to say the least. It was pitch dark under there.
The proximity of other swimmers was distracting. I had to remember not to panic. I suddenly though I can swim in a pool but how can I swim in this? I questioned whether my stroke could match up to the choppy currents of the ocean. Unsure of my breathing, I tasted a gulp of salt water and immediately wanted to throw in the towel.
By that stage though despite the stark thoughts swimming around in my cold head, I had actu- ally reached the buoy. Furthermore I was not last. There were still lots of orange dots behind bopping up and down in the water.
Sheila then shows us how to sight properly, lifting her head up in a seamless action as she glides by. I follow her instruction but fail to see the next buoy. The fact that they are pretty much the same illuminous colour as our tow
floats adds to the confusion. I concentrate on my technique. I have spent hours in a lane preparing for this. I take my time. I try the sighting thing again. I make it to the next point, feeling a little less tense.
“It’s about getting into a rhythm,” advises Ray when I tell him I’m totally out of my depth. “You’re doing great. Think strong strokes” he insists, “like when you are surfing trying to catch a wave.”
Sheila announces that we are to swim to the next point way out in the distance. We wonder if she is joking. Everyone hesitates. “Well, off you go,” she says.
Swimming in the sea seems to expend so much more energy. It is a definite effort. But this is my first time and I expect it will get easier. I take a moment to appreciate the vista, a sunset shining down on us - little creatures of the sea threading water as we await the next instruction.
“Okay, I want you to break into groups of five and sprint back to the last buoy,” says Sheila. And that’s when my competitive streak comes out. I forget where I am and churn my arms over as fast as I can passing out some swimmers as I go.
Breathless and proud, I enjoy the ‘ recovery’ lap in towards the strand. When I try to stand I fall like a drunk - the dizziness is another new sensation. But I like so many others with me am buzzing from the experience. It was sheer exhilaration.
Sheila does a body count on the beach. We are all accounted for, albeit worse for wear in my case. My neck is stinging. I have managed to secure an obligatory wetsuit rash, one of the hazards of open water training. But I don’t mind. Next time this sea swimming rookie will be applying barrier cream. Bring it on!
NOTHING CLEARS YOUR HEAD LIKE A SEA SWIM. NO MATTER WHAT YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT DURING THE DAY ONCE YOU ARE IN THE WATER YOU ARE IN THE MOMENT