To turn past a buoy, slide your inner arm past the buoy, flip onto your back and then back onto your front.
PAUL: The annual ‘Swim Thru Perth’ race is a 4 km swim in the Swan River from Barrack Street Jetty to Matilda Bay and is Australia’s longest-running open water swimming event, having been inaugurated in 1919. The musician and artist Rolf Harris famously raced the 4 km in the early 1950s swimming backstroke. At the time Rolf was the Australian junior backstroke champion and a very handy swimmer by all accounts.
I have competed in this event most years since I moved to Perth in 2002 and one incident springs to mind when discussing turning around buoys and the general mêlée of swimming in close quarters to other swimmers. The gun had gone off and we were into the first few hundred meters of the swim when I first became aware of a swimmer alongside me who I just couldn’t seem to shake off. We were constantly bumping into each other in a bid to pick the straightest line, neither wishing to concede an inch or wisely choosing to sit back and jump on the other’s toes for a nice draft.
The swim course is one long straight-line with a final very sharp right-hand turn with 80 m or so to the finish. By this point we had been duelling it out for just over 48 minutes and clearly whoever made it first around that buoy would beat the other. I felt a hand reach out and grab my shoulder, ducking me several feet under the water. Coming up and gasping for air, another hand perfectly connected with the same shoulder and forced me down once again. Fearing more that I would drown at this point, and less that I would win our mini-race, I had no other choice but to jab the assailant in the ribs with my elbow whilst under the water to ensure that I did actually resurface. Sadly the damage was already done and I came off second best across the finish line.
Being deliberately dunked in this way is incredibly rare but it highlights that there will be times in open water where your reserve will be tested. Rather than shying away from swimming close to other swimmers, practise getting close to your training buddies and become accustomed to the odd small knock without it putting you off your stroke. Inevitably you will experience a few knocks and bangs whilst swimming in open water – most of which are entirely accidental. They’re never pleasant but become experienced swimming in close proximity to other swimmers and those knocks won’t put you off enjoying this great sport.
To turn past a buoy, slide your inner arm past the buoy, flip onto your back and then back onto your front.
The thought of the washing machine effect as swimmers converge on a turn buoy in a triathlon or open water swim can be very intimidating to those new to open water swimming. Many worry about getting caught up on the fixing rope or being pushed under water by their competitors (a very rare occurrence). These fears are mostly groundless but there is little wonder many swimmers give turn buoys a very wide birth adding considerable distance to their swims. You might also feel the need to switch to head-up breaststroke round the buoy in an effort not to get swamped. This will ruin the rhythm and flow of your swim though and can result in other competitors swimming into the back of you.
By working on improving your turning technique you can swim through these areas of the course in a much more effective (and impressive!) manner:
PAUL: Larger marker buoys at the bigger events will float very high on the water such that they create a body width’s gap under the buoy as the design tapers underneath. Avoid getting so close that you find yourself in this gap as it can be very difficult to escape without the room to bring your arm over the surface of the water!