Open Water Swimming Manual

Lynne Cox has set open water swimming records across the world, and now she has focused her decades-long experience and expertise into this definitive guide to swimming. Cox methodically addresses what is needed to succeed at and enjoy open water swimming, including choosing the right bathing suit and sunscreen; surviving in dangerous weather conditions, currents, and waves; confronting various marine organisms; treating ailments, such as being stung or bitten, and much more. Cox calls upon Navy SEAL training materials and instructors' knowledge of open water swimming and safety procedures to guide her research. In addition, first-hand anecdotes from SEAL specialists and stories of Cox's own experiences serve as both warnings and proper practices to adopt. Open Water Swimming Manual provides a wealth of knowledge for all swimmers, from seasoned triathletes and expert swimmers to beginners exploring open water swimming for the first time. It is, as well, the first manual of its kind to make use of oceanography, marine biology, and to weave in stories about the successes and failures of other athletes, giving us a deeper, broader understanding of this exhilarating and fast growing sport.

Lynne Cox was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Los Alamitos, California, where she presently lives. She has held open-water swimming records all over the world, for among others, the fastest crossing of the English Channel (at age 15), the Santa Catalina Channel, the twelve-mile Oresund between Denmark and Sweden, and the Kattegut between Norway to Sweden. Cox was the first woman to swim across the Cook Strait in New Zealand, the first to swim across the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle Channel between Argentina and Chile, Lake Baikal in Russia, and around the Cape of Good Hope. In 1987, Cox crossed the Bering Strait to the Soviet Union, and in 2002 swam more than a mile in the 31°F waters off Antarctica. Cox has been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. She is the author of Swimming to Antarctica, Grayson, South with the Sun. Her articles have appeared in many publications, among them The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times Magazine. "The greatest open water swimmer." —Sports Illustrated

Table of Contents   Introduction   Part One: How to Begin   Chapter 1: Beginnings Allure of the Open Water Expert Sources & Credentials   Chapter 2: Equipment The Swimsuit Swimsuit Care Chafing Skin Lubricant Products Treatment for Chafing Sunscreen Products Sunburn Prevention Sunburn Treatment Goggles Swim Caps Wet Suits Swim Skins   Chapter 3: Finding an Open Water Swimming Coach and Group Finding Specific Coaches and Groups   Chapter 4: Technical Skills for Open Water Swimming Swimming Skills Required Breathing Drills Head Position in the Water Feeling the Water to Swim Faster   Chapter 5: Research Selecting a Training Area Scouting/Walking the Workout Course Tidal Charts Water Temperature Water Quality Food and Hydration   Chapter 6: Into the Open Water The Stingray Shuffle Water Entry Bodysurfing Waves Surf Role of the Tides Swell Prediction Moving through the Surf Over Our Heads: Distress Signals Riptides Water Exit   Chapter 7: Effects of Heat and Cold Cold Acclimatization Hyperthermia and Hypothermia Heat Acclimatization Hypothermia Ice Swimming After-drop   Chapter 8: Sinuses and Ears Prevention of Infections   Chapter 9: Ocean Hazards Fog Ships, Boats, Jet Skis, Sailor Boats, Wind Surfers, Kite Surfers, and Surfers   Part Two: Beginning and Intermediate Swimmers   Chapter 10: Training Swims Training Safely Training for a Short Open Water Swim Training for a Moderate or Long Open Water Swim   Chapter 11: Selection For Support & Swim Skills Required for Kayaker Kayaker Selection Kayaker Competency Swimming Route   Part Three: Intermediate & Advanced Swimmers   Chapter 12: Open Water Swims Outside the Buoys with Boat Support Information Gathering/Research Selecting Support Crew One Person on the Surface in Charge Plan for Swim/Mission Briefing: Explaining the Plan SEAL Mission Planning Strategy Backup Plans Safety/Operational Risk Management Emergency Action Plan Completion of Swim and Rewarming Debriefing Further SEAL Advice When Planning a Swim Recommendations for Long Training Swims and Documentation   Chapter 13: Dangerous Marine Organisms Research Semitropical and Tropical Waters before Swimming Bristle Worms Coral Reefs Fire Coral Jellyfish Box Jellyfish Leptospirosis Seabather’s Eruption Sea Cucumbers Sea Urchin Seaweed Dermatitis Scorpion Fish Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Stonefish Stingrays Country Medicine Swimmer's Itch SEALs Recommend U.S. Navy Diving Manual   Chapter 14: Sharks Swimming with Sharks and Rays Minds In the Water U.S. Navy Diving Manual on Sharks First Aid for Shark Bites   Part Four: Advanced Swimmers   Chapter 15: Into the Dark Swimming in the Dark Dark Swims and Illumination Finding Better Illumination   Chapter 16: Sea Sickness Taking Medications During a Swim   Chapter 17: Preparation Physical Training Mental Preparation   Chapter 18: Going In and out of Consciousness Deep Mind “Thing” Sleep   Chapter 19: Motivations Success Success in Unsuccessful Swims   Chapter 20: The English Channel Charts, Contacts, and Pilots Tidal Charts You Want to Swim the English Channel? How Do You Make Contact? Selecting a Pilot   Chapter 21: Catalina and Other Channel Swims The Catalina Channel Swim The Santa Barbara Channel Swim Finding Pilots For the Catalina Channel and Other Swims Meeting With Pilots Before Hiring Them Inspect the Boat Before You Swim Before You Begin Any Channel Swim Contact the U.S. Coast Guard Staying Healthy Boating Safety Selecting Boat Support for an Organized Swim Organized Swim Considerations   Chapter 22: Swimmer’s Utopia   Chapter 23: Stewardship of the Waters   Sources for Additional Information Acknowledgments Index