Secrets to Sighting in Open Water

From a triathlete.com article in their October 2011 issue.

For 2012, open water sighting was a primary focus for me.  The shortest distance between point A and point B is a straight line.  There is nothing worse than adding additional yardage to an already long swim.  The image below shows my first GPS map during a sprint triathlon (first because I just purchased the GARMIN 910xt).

I'm not too happy with how this swim went. I did come calculations with the gps data and approximated a 45-50 yard increase in distance due to poor-sighting.  This adds approximately 1 minute to my swim time (generalizing my swim pace).  Adding that much time, during a sprint, is huge.  During longer distance triathlons, this could add significant time to my swim.  I read forums where people are committed to swimming faster, yet none of them mention working on the sighting.  There is nothing easier than going in a straight line.

There are some things that can affect sighting.  During the Grand Rapids Triathlon, the swim back is directly into the sun.  During Reeds Lake Triathlon, the swim course was poorly marked and there was a fog that made the few buoys hard to see.  The image above is from Tri Del Sol.  This course is marked perfectly so there is no excuse.

How to improve? The article lists some good tips:

1. Lift only your eyes out of the water.  Anything more drops your legs and slows you down.


2. When dealing with waves, try to time your sight at the top of a wave.


3. If water is really choppy, lift your head higher, but try to lift it fewer times.  To do this, find a landmark and swim towards that.


4. do not breath during sighting.  Separate the two actions.


5. As you prepare to sight, push down with your hand and arms.  This will lift your upper body.


6. Arch your bike while lifting your head.  This will keep your legs and feet near the surface.


7. Kick extra hard during the sight.  This will keep your feet from dropping.


8. Sight 2-3 times in a row.  First sight to locate buoy, second sight to adjust and third to verify.  Swim straight for 20-30 seconds before repeating.


9. Practice.


10. I'm adding this one:  draft somebody.  Locate swimmers around you and let them do the work for you.