OWS Alone (Page 2)

You should have song the Solo OWS cheer:

Alligator, alligator, alligator Gar
We're not as dumb as you think we is!

So if you are swimming 200 yds from shore and have water go down the wrong pipe you die? Funny, I have had that happen a bunch of times and haven't mysteriously dropped dead from it! Not saying it is a good idea to OWS alone but this is a little melodramatic...Also, do you just sink to the bottom of the pool when you bonk in the pool? SOunds like you are afraid that is going to happen to you in an OWS.

What do I do- swim parallel to shore if possible. Not much chance of getting into serious trouble like that, unless you get water down the wrong pipe and drop dead immediately.

Fixed that for ya. 

I have and will swim open water alone.  I would prefer not too but have no qualms with doing so if I know the area for boat traffic, currents etc.

Presumably we are all good swimmers or we would not be doing triathlons.  So aside from cramping or drowning or having a heart attack, here are my concerns:

1.  Getting hit by a drunken boater or someone on a SeaDoo who is has his head up his....uh, is not watching what he is doing or where he is going.

2.  Getting tangled in fishing line or someone net or hitting some other debri

3.  Getting snakebit by a water moccasin (or sharkbit for ocean swimming)

The third item is sort of tongue in cheak....sorta. 

I swim in a lake with boat traffic.

1. Don't swim at night?

2. Don't swim later in the day when you have alot of boat traffic.

3. Beware of 7:00 am on the weekends when the Bass Tournaments start.  It seems they are in a big hurry to go nowhere and then use trolling motors.

4. Don't swim with anything that would compromise your hearing.  If you hear a boat and think it is coming toward you stop and splash.

5. Similar to biking, at some time during the ride it is better to stop the concentrated effort and be more aware of what the cars are doing. 

6. As far as poisonious snakes or alligators, move north and get a wet suit.

Just as there's "alone" and there's "alone," I think there's "open water" and "open water."  I wouldn't particularly hesitate to swim in a small lake or river (which is what the OP is talking about)...may not be the safest thing to do in the world, but in those settings I feel confident I can get to shallow water even with a cramp.

If we're talking about the ocean or the Great Lakes or that sort of setting, it's a little different.  I've swum solo in the ocean a handful of times, but only with my wife spotting from the shore...not that she (or a nearby lifeguard) would be likely to save me if I went under, but at least she'd know where to look for my body.  If you're in a setting where you are a significant distance from shore and exposed to hazards like watercraft or rip currents, solo OWS is dicey, IMO.