Open water and wild swimming are the new trends, inspiring phenomena for thousands of athletes all over the world. There are so many benefits of outdoor swimming: you can strengthen your spirit, find soul harmony, and shelter from the craziness of hyperactive and busy modern life, you can feel nature and improve your health. But what to wear? Yes, the access to the open reservoirs such as lakes, oceans, and rivers are free, but the sums spent on special open water swimming gear are breathtaking. This is why our blog has prepared for you Top 6 outdoor swimming accessories so you could spend the money on something really needed.
Content of the article:
This is the most important gear in this sport because your health depends on it.
To choose the right swimwear for open water swimming, it is enough to follow three simple steps:
STEP 1: Determine the water temperature
0 - 10C
10 - 19C
19 -23С
For swimming in 0 - 10C water, you will need to buy a thick wetsuit.
It will protect all vital organs, make your stay in cold water as comfortable as possible. Please note that thick wetsuits are not very suitable for diving or spearfishing because the cut and covering do not meet the swimmer's requirement, constraining movement in the water. A special model for swimming provides the sleeve cut necessary for the stroke, as well as its smaller thickness (3 mm) in relation to the thickness of the back (6 mm).
Wetsuits of combined thickness are suitable for 10 - 19C temperatures.
Most often, the water in open reservoirs remains cool, and weather conditions can change radically, which further reduces the water degree and we must keep the body warm and energy for active swimming. Choose a swimming costume with a thickness of 4/3/2/1.5 mm for open water swimming with medium temperature.
Warm water from 19 to 23 degrees allows you to wear thin wetsuits.
These can be:
STEP 2. Swimmer’s level and skills
If you are a beginner, the more technologically advanced the wetsuit you choose, the more advantages it will give. The suit of combined thickness holds perfectly on the water, does not allow the body to sink, provides safety, gives additional speed.
For a professional, a thinner suit is suitable, which does not weigh much, ensures the maintenance of heat, gliding, and comfortable moves.
STEP 3. Distance length
It is important to choose the right wetsuit according to the distance. For short ones, you can wear a thinner suit, and for long ones, during which a lot of energy is spent, it is recommended to wear a warm suit.
In hot seawater, a thin wetsuit prevents excessive skin contact with saltwater and jellyfish.
Cheap or Expensive?
So, the wetsuit has two main properties: to keep the body warm and to help swim faster. The wetsuit contains neoprene, which raises the body closer to the surface of the water – due to this, it becomes easier to swim in a wetsuit than without it.
If we talk about the task of preserving the body's warmth, it doesn't matter if the wetsuit is expensive or cheap, they keep it the same.
The difference may be in the speed of swimming. In a more expensive wetsuit, you can swim faster than in a regular one, due to the anatomical shape and special inserts on the sleeves.
As a rule, expensive wetsuits have a more elastic material, unlike low-budget options.
No matter if it's cheap or expensive, the main thing - make sure to choose swimming clothing by size!
Nowadays, almost all smartwatches are waterproof, and you can swim in the pool and open water with them. But some models manage to track indicators better.
When choosing such smartwatches, consider their waterproofness standard. The case and clock face should be made of good materials, such as sapphire glass. Modern models have functions and applications for calculating indicators during the training, helping to improve results with regular classes.
We advise you to pay attention to Garmin.
With any Garmin smartwatch model, you can view data about each workout. The watch of this company has a special application with a chart that displays detailed data on distance, time, stroke, temperature, pace, speed. There is also a function that allows you to view data in real-time, which makes this swimming equipment desirable for many swimmers.
Let's consider the two most optimal options for glasses for swimming in open water.
Swimming goggles with polarizing lenses. ZOGGS has such a model. Due to its multi-layered structure, the lenses scatter light rays that enter the eyes horizontally, and it is they who create blinding glare that makes it difficult to navigate and can even damage the retina. These glasses have protection from ultraviolet radiation. At the same time, polarizing lenses, unlike darkened or mirrored ones, do not obstruct visibility in cloudy weather. It is comfortable to wear them, because the frame is curved in the shape of the face, and the adaptive nose bridge takes the shape of your nose. Additionally, you can use an antifog spray, with which the lenses will not fog up even at long distances.
These glasses are suitable for athletes who are looking for a convenient option for training, competitions, open water, swimming pool, sunny and cloudy weather.
The next type of glasses that you should pay attention to are glasses with chameleon or photochromic lenses, which react to ultraviolet rays and change the degree of darkening. In the sun, they darken, and, for example, in the pool, they become almost transparent.
The glasses turn dark in the sun in less than 3 minutes, so even if you put them on just before the start, they will have time to adapt to the lighting. HUUB offers such a solution. Their model has wide lenses, which gives a full view when swimming in open water. They are comfortable even in front crawl. The durable and flexible frame consists of a solid contour and a soft part adjacent to the face. It is not easy to knock them off the head in the starting crowd, even if you put them above a swim cap.
A neoprene cap is an ideal ocean swimming cap, as the ocean water is often cold. It protects against cold and hypothermia. It is usually worn under a regular silicone cap. A cap made of neoprene can be with a hook-and-loop fastener and a regular strap. The cap with the hook-and-loop fastener can fasten the strap tight so the cap fits snugly. Different brands are divided by size, which is quite significant because a right-sized cap will not allow the water to get inside. The neoprene cap is often used in triathlon, and helps to save energy and warmth during the swimming stage.
If you are serious and think that open water swimming is a professional sport that requires a high level of training, then you simply have to pay attention to such devices as communicators between a coach and a swimmer. Just imagine, you are doing exercises to practice technique or endurance and hear the voice of your coach, who corrects your movements, points out your shortcomings and mistakes, or simply tells you pleasant and motivational phrases. The coach no longer needs to wait until you get out of the water to give you his comments because you can hear his instructions even underwater. SONR was created for this purpose. A unique and high-tech device that makes real-time communication underwater possible. SONR has a high water resistance standard, captures a signal up to 300 meters and up to 1 meter deep. SONR fits comfortably under a neoprene cap, does not press, and does not cause inconvenience to the swimmer in any way because it weighs only 30 grams. Be always in touch with your coach and prepare for competitions effectively.
This equipment is used by athletes and wild swimming enthusiasts to improve visibility in open water during competitions, as well as single swims.
The buoy for open water swimming is an inflatable bag with a volume of 16 liters or more with a dry pocket for things, made of high-quality waterproof material, equipped with an adjustable belt fastening system.
The buoy ensures safety on the water during training. The swimmer becomes more visible for water vehicles such as boats and yachts.
If necessary, you can use the buoy to rest during the passage of long distances. The bright color makes the swimmer more visible to the coach. A buoy from the Creek company can be an excellent open water swim safety gear.
After reading this article, you no longer need to wonder about what to wear for open water swimming and what supplies you need to buy. Join the trend of open water swimming and feel comfortable.
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As the season of rejuvenation blooms, so does the opportunity to enhance your swimming experience with innovative technology thanks to SONR Coach and SONR Music.
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