Out of the Chlorine, Into the Brine: ‘Tis Season for Open-Water Swims

Forget whale-watching. Open-water swim season is upon us. From July through September, herds of migratory humans can be seen thrashing along Orange County’s coastline--racing from one pier to the next, or looping 1- to 10-mile courses marked by buoys--in annual rites of competition, recreation and survival.

Saturday’s 2-miler, the 16th Annual Balboa Pier to Newport Pier Ocean Swim, is just the first of three July competitions. The others are the 23rd Annual Seal Beach Roughwater Swim on July 20 and the Naples Island Swims on July 28.

“The big one is the Seal Beach 10-miler on July 20,” says longtime ocean swimmer Mike Trudeau of Irvine. “Fortunately, they also have 1- and 3-mile courses for those who aren’t quite ready for 10.”

During the week, Trudeau trains with about a dozen other master swimmers at a 25-meter pool at UC Irvine and in the ocean. “Now that the water is warmer, we’re out there every Sunday morning,” Trudeau says. “We start from the lifeguard tower on Main Beach in Laguna.”

Beyond the simple desire to wash away months of smelly chlorine with a nice, long crawl through salty brine, there is much at stake at these competitions for hundreds of local swimmers representing dozens of swim programs.

“It’s a trophy-rich environment,” explains Rich Kempster of Seal Beach, organizer of the Seal Beach Roughwater Swim. “We’ve got first, second and third place trophies for men and women in every (five-year) age group between 19 and 65, and trophies for boys and girls ages 6 to 14 in shorter (200-1200 yard) swims.”

Kempster, 44, says that, trophies notwithstanding, most ocean swimmers have only one goal: “They just want to cross the finish line and be able to say they did it. Every year we have to (almost) harpoon one or two stragglers to get them out of the water before they hurt themselves.”

What motivates recreational swimmers to forsake the security of a pool for the challenge of the ocean?

“Mechanically speaking, ocean swimming is much more of an upper body workout,” Kempster says. “Ocean swimmers constantly fight and claw their way through waves and swells--they kick their feet just enough to keep their legs from dragging. They rely on their arms for propulsion.”

Kempster says that ocean swimmers, on average, have a bit more body fat than pool swimmers. “A bit of fat coupled with the extra buoyancy of salt water makes us float a little better.” Jim Martin, coach of UC Irvine’s masters swimming program, says that pool swimmers should have their stroke and breathing down before venturing into the ocean, and that they should be in good cardiovascular condition.

“What stops most people is uneasiness about being in the ocean,” says Martin, “which is basically a fear of the unknown. Swimming in the ocean instead of a pool is like running in the woods instead of on a track.”

Martin admits that it’s possible to get in “over your head” in the ocean. “On the other hand,” Martin says, “for those who can get past the uneasiness, there’s more to look at and enjoy--like birds and sea life and other swimmers--and more to deal with--like waves, currents, surf lines, cooler temperatures and varying conditions.”

Also, according to Trudeau, there are spiritual benefits to ocean swimming. “We all get a little something different out of it,” he says. “For me, it’s a matter of perspective. I swim around in the ocean--which is basically the ageless cradle of life--and I say to myself: ‘Problems? I ain’t got any problems!’ When I get out of the ocean my problems are the same as they were when I went in but somehow they seem more manageable after a swim.”

Lynn Kubasek, 32, of Orange, agrees with Trudeau--for different reasons.

“Ocean swimming keeps me normal,” Kubasek says. “I’m extremely competitive and swimming gets it out of my system so I can be relatively normal at work and in my relationships with other people.”

Kubasek, who is seven months pregnant with her third child, says she is “immensely frustrated” by the prospect of a summer without competitive ocean swimming. “I’m already plotting ways to get back into the water after the baby is born,” she says. Though Kubasek first swam in the ocean as a teen-ager when she was a Huntington Beach lifeguard, she went through a long period of ocean-phobia in her 20s. “I saw ‘Jaws II’ or something like it,” she says, “and it made me afraid to swim in the ocean. I’m also very nearsighted and it’s scary when you’re in the middle of the ocean and can’t see anything.”

Contact lenses and a desire to eliminate some of the competitors who made her life miserable in the pool led Kubasek back to the ocean. Also, she was determined to live up to her family heritage. “My mom and dad were surfers,” Kubasek says. “I have their original numbered Hobie surfboards in my garage. I just decided: ‘This is ridiculous, I have to get back in the ocean.’ ”

Kubasek, Trudeau, Martin and Kempster offer the following advice for swimmers who want to make a smooth transition from pool to ocean.

* Swim in a pool until you’re in good shape.

* Join a masters program and let your coach know you’d like to prepare for ocean swimming.

* Swim with a group of people, including some who are experienced ocean swimmers. This will help build your confidence and allow you to feel more comfortable.

* Always wear goggles to protect your eyes and a brightly colored swim cap to increase your ability to be seen in the water and prevent heat loss from your head.

Saturday’s Balboa Pier to Newport Pier Ocean Swim race is at 10 a.m. at Balboa Pier, Lifeguard Tower M. Registration starts at 9:15 a.m. The race ends at Newport Pier (20th St.). Call Jim Turner at (714) 673-3361 for details.

For information on the 23rd Annual Seal Beach Roughwater Swim, call Rich Kempster at (213) 799-0011 and for the Naples Island Swims, call Lucy Johnson Trapp at (213) 433-5299. For information on the weekly ocean swim from the Main Beach lifeguard tower in Laguna Beach, call Mike Trudeau at (714) 272-1196.