The ocean is my swimming pool.

[Gail_Berke]

While diving yesterday I had an epiphany. Why not turn the ocean into my swimming pool? I could measure out a pool length and have two dive floats tethered at each end to something I rig up on the bottom. Then I could line up a few painted rocks on the bottom between the floats as my "lane line".

This time of the year there is not a whole lot to see where I dive, so why not do dynamics to burn up calories, increase your cardio ability, and improve your form? With the roomy lanes in the ocean, I don't have to worry about slicing someone with my monofin like I do when I'm in a pool. The viz is good now, so I could follow the "lap line" from the surface as well as along the bottom. And with the jelly fish gone for the winter, I can put my head down and kick my heart out without fear of plowing into one of them.

Any one else have their own salt water pool?

[Gwaihir]

my "pool" is only 1 Degree Celsius these days... so no

[Gail_Berke]

Isn't your 7 mil suit warm enough for 1 degree C (34 degree F) ? I'm wearing a 2 mil vest under my 7 mil suit, and with my dry gloves, I'm very comfortable. The water on Tuesday was 3 degrees C (37 degrees F) at the surface.

hteas suggested that I only really need one float, because when I get to the end of my "lane", I should swim back on the surface as part of the rest interval. And instead of painting rocks, I'll just stretch a 25 yard line of rope along the bottom (attached to weights, of course) that I can follow. This way it will be easier to move to different angles and depth depending on where the tide is at. Alaska gets almost as big as tides as Norway.

[steve-p]

i have done something simlilar......

i put 50m of thin rope on the seabed of the bay in front of my house. attached to the bottom with rocks in around 2.5m of water. i marked the last 5m of the rope with red tape so i know when i am near the end.... its ok for practising dymanics but it doesnt help with the turn at the end of the length!!!

[monkeyhatfork]

Sometimes I do something similar in the summer when the pool crowds up with childrens swim leasons, I use two kayaks as marker, never thought about marking the bottom though, what area of alaska are you, I lived in Homer for 8years when I was little. remeber seaing some pretty amazing sea life in the bay there.

[Pocoshower]

How do you manage the safety when doing laps in the ocean?

[monkeyhatfork]

in my case i'm doing this in a shallow cove at a lake near my house, conditions are almost identical to the pool, there is always someone with me, and as long as it isnt a holiday, don't have to worry too much about boats.