Subject: RE: What are the differences between OWS in a lake vs. ocean? Most of the ocean swims I've done in races are roughly triangular; occasionally more like three sides of a rectangle. Straight out and back is not typical. There's generally a part where you head out, either straight or at an angle, around a buoy or boat, then parallel to the shore for awhile, then another turn, and in to the finish, again either straigjt or at an angle. Olys are often 2 laps of a 750m course, but not always. I've done races where you swam almost 500m out to sea before turning. Paralleling the beach is a bit easier, assuming you can see the beach (which is a big assumption if you're a few hundred yards out to sea with waves), but you need to be able to breathe to both sides to deal with racing in either direction. Bilateral breathing is also very useful if the current is coming at you from one side, as you need to be able to breathe from the other side. Otherwise you will have to waste energy lifting your head to breathe. |