Is this a bad idea?

I think there are some personal safety devices on the market for open water swimming..... maybe someone more knowledgeable can post some info on this.

My advice would be if you are relying on a balloon as your safety device I don't think you are ready to be swimming in the open water.

I'd get some good pool training in,  get comfortable with the water in a safe environment,  then progressing to the open water,  along  a shore where you can stand up if you need to.  Get comfortable with that.  then move to deeper open water.

I'd steer well clear of your helium balloon idea.  I can see all sorts of problems related to that,  ie as you said getting tangled, if you are swimming your hips should be rolling,  if its stuck to your shorts it will be moving too.    

what happens if you do get into trouble,  struggling to pull a balloon down and hang onto that is not the safest idea IMHO,  it would probably take you the same amount of time for your swimming buddy to get to you as it would to pull down a balloon.

just my thoughts

The product you're refering to is called Swim-Safe.   You can read about it on their website http://www.triaids.com/SwimSafe.htm.

 Todd

Not to hijack, but from personal experience, any question that I have uttered that began with, "I wonder if this is a bad idea" usually ended up being just that.

just one of the pearls of wisdom I passed on to my kids when they were very young

along with believing only half of what you see and none of what you hear. Especially on internet forums with advice coming from supposed experts total strangers.

As for the original question: the swimsafe and similar products are a great idea (I used a similar product when fishing with my kids when they were young) but bottom line is you need to get comfortable in open water/deep water swimming. Period. No added equipment will rid you of any fear, but only give you a potentially false sense of security; things happen and panic will not serve you well if you can't fend for yourself. Floatation devices as a backup: fine. As a first-line of defense? Not so good.

   I like the swim safe thing.  I'm going to look into that.  

Let me clarify that my discomfort with open water swimming lies not so much in my ability but more to do with the "what if" rare occasion that something goes wrong and I need some assistance.   Kind of like cars having air bags or jets having ejection seats.  You only need them when you NEED them and for no other purpose.

My discomfort with open water  comes more from the stories you hear that "even experienced swimmers can drown!" 

It would also be convenient to not have to practice OWS with a buddy.

I like the baloon idea. I thought about doing it myself, not to use as a pfd, but to let some of the rocket scientists on the seadoo know that I'm in the water. I swim within 50-100 yds of shore in a partitioned no-wake zone, but regulation and enforcement is a little on the lax side.

What I had in mind was attaching it to the back of my suit using one of those curly christmas ribbons. It would be out of reach of my hand/arm, so chances of it snagging or tangling on anything would be minimal. Plus, those baloons have a lot of lift to them...it might help keep my hips a little higher.

Seriously, I think the major hazard I face at my OWS lake is being run over by people not following the rules. I swim early mornings when traffic is at a minimum....and traffic is definately lighter in winter than summer, but I think this could be an idea to try. I few seconds extra warning that something's in the water could be what it takes to avoid a major mishap.

I completely agree with the concept that you shouldn't be out in open water if you need to rely on a baloon to keep you from drowning.

This is what I did at first, and actually still do when Im alone.  At any time, I can stand up, but I still can make full arm strokes. Also, if you are wearing a wetsuit, that will also make you more buoyant, thus acting as your 'flotation device'. The video on this site for beginners talks about it - if you start to get worried, just roll over onto your back.

But really, if youre worried, dont go deep. Or have your buddy follow you in a boat.

You could also go this route instead of a balloon tied behind you -

I bought a life guard can that I can pull when I did long IM swims.  It has a long cord maybe 8 feet and has a loop around the end you can put over one shoulder and goes across my chet. Stuff happens even if you can swim well. I have 5 kids and would rather be safe than stupid.

My friend made a thing out of noodle and she pulls it behind her. 

Swimming when it is 55 is tough at times. Even when I swim with others really what can they do for me or me for them if either of us have an issue?

As a new open water swimmer myself I have addressed this problem with a significant burden on my wife and her use of a kayak   Being that she follows me in the lake in the kayak with a life jacket on board.  I have recently joined up with a group of swimmers who open water swim in a local lake/pond and there is a "lifeguard" who often naps on the dock dont know how much use he is?

Good luck with the swimming.

I bought a SwimSafe this year.   I use it with my wetsuit when I do OWS.

Even with my SwimSafe (or your 'balloon' or others 'noodles') we still need to be able to think about what we are doing.  If the issue was cramping we should be ok but if it's true 'panic' you may not be thinking clearly enough to pull the balloon or noodle to you.  And if something more serious happened (like a seizure, stroke  or heart attack) our devices may be useless. 

Swimming with someone else is a good idea (someone in a kayak or canoe is even better) as is swimming parellel to shore in shallower water. 

I have a question...if you are out in the lake / river / ocean and you or someone you are swimming with has a heart attack, major cramp, attacked by a shark, or whatever, what are you going to be able to do? If they are not breathing they / you will be dead by the time you get back to shore and get medical aid. And that is ONLY if you see them in time. When I'm swimming in a group, people are usually zig-zagging, slower, faster and no one is ever paying attention. I stopped swimming during a club swim at our lake to prove my point. 5 minutes after I stopped, no one had stopped to look for me. I was "dead" and this was just after we had the disscussion about how dangerous it was to swim alone. I swim alone....so in answer to your question, if you can swim well, swimming alone is not a bad idea (if no other option is available, at least let someone know when you should be home so they can find you if you miss dinner!)