Swimming in the Ocean

[futurecruiser]

While sailing in the Ocean or another large body of water, has anyone encounter a windless day and simply decided to take a swim while in the middle of the ocean / sea? Or is this a completely stupid question?

[FSMike]

Sure. Why not?

[futurecruiser]

i donno. It seems doable. but it seems like the middle of the ocean might not be the safest place to swim. even if you were tethered to the boat

[Paul Elliott]

I've had the chance, but not done it. On the other hand, I know lots of sailors who make a point of it. One good friend jumped overboard in order to swim across the equator. Now *that's* something I could see myself doing.

Yeah, there are fish out there, and some big ones, but it's probably no worse than swimming at the beach.

And remember, you're never more than six miles from land!

[bewitched]

Done it a few times - I keep hoping I'll enjoy it, but I don't. It's a very strange sensation - more like being suspended than floating or swimming

Looking down all that depth and the shards of sunlight disappearing into the abyss, should be beautiful - and it is - but I always get a shiver and slink back to the boat.

[Ocean Girl]

Funny, I was just telling this story to a coworker.
It was a windless day in the atlantic, so we decided to hop overboard and swim. There were three of us aboard so they went first while I kept an eye out for sea monsters and such (and wind too!). Finally I got to get in and boy did it feel great! First I took a bath, ahhh. Then I floated face down on the surface, looking down into the depths. It was so beautiful, the sunlight streaked big bands stretching down to the deep. I marveled at the beauty, even though my heart was going thump thump thump, this was the wild ocean below the waterline . There were ghosts floating in the depths too. A trick of the light reflecting off the plankton made it look like there were figures swirling and hovering all around and below me. I can't fully describe it because it defies description. All I can say is it is by far the most beautiful site I have ever seen. Later I marked where we took the swim on the chart. It turns out I was swimming in 17,000 feet of water..gulp.
Erika

[FSMike]

It used to be a yachty tradition that you had to swim underneath the boat from one side to the other the first time you crossed the equator.

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Funny, I was just telling this story to a coworker.
It was a windless day in the atlantic, so we decided to hop overboard and swim. There were three of us aboard so they went first while I kept an eye out for sea monsters and such (and wind too!). Finally I got to get in and boy did it feel great! First I took a bath, ahhh. Then I floated face down on the surface, looking down into the depths. It was so beautiful, the sunlight streaked big bands stretching down to the deep. I marveled at the beauty, even though my heart was going thump thump thump, this was the wild ocean below the waterline . There were ghosts floating in the depths too. A trick of the light reflecting off the plankton made it look like there were figures swirling and hovering all around and below me. I can't fully describe it because it defies description. All I can say is it is by far the most beautiful site I have ever seen. Later I marked where we took the swim on the chart. It turns out I was swimming in 17,000 feet of water..gulp.
Erika

That is a beautiful and poetic description.

[cat man do]

400 nm out on the way to New cal in about 4000 metres of water

[beau]

Hey Dave,
that looks like you on the boat?
Were you too afraid of the sharks

[beau]

The first time I did it (swimming in the deep blue sea) I was in a 30 ft mono, flat calm, motoring. We stopped the engine and all of us, my wife and daughter (1 year old in a life jacket) all jumped in. I must say at the time it was a wierd feeling but now days we do it all the time. My daughter is now 30 years old.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by beau

Hey Dave,
that looks like you on the boat?

Sure is, a mate took the pic, I got in shortly after.

I was just telling one of the others on board to keep an eye out for us, he was scared and supposed to be some brave army guy.

Were you too afraid of the sharks

Afraid?
Nah, but I certainly didn't swim far away from the boarding ladder

[scook1]

I have done it a few times and it scares me to death. The fear of the unknown I think. I will continue to do it. I love the swimming across the equator thing though, Paul.
Spencer

[JiffyLube]

Once ages ago I sailed with a couple of guys from Hawaii to California on a 28' Piver trimaran. A few times the other two guys tried to talk me into getting on a float, and drifting away from the boat to take some pictures of the boat and them. All I could imagine was some huge pelagic shark following behind out boat for days, just waiting for one of us humans to get in the water. Since neither one of them were willing to get in the water, I wasn't going to do it either...better safe than sorry I say.

[Intentional Drifter]

Erika's already said all there is to say. There are certain peak experiences one can only have when sailing, on a small boat. That's one of them.

BTW, welcome to the forum, FutureCruiser!

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