Swim Report – August 19, 2009 – Vertigo in the "Washing Machine"

Dave and I had spoke earlier in the day, and he reported lake temperatures of 68F (69F at Ohio Street Beach). Shortly after that, some pretty vigorous thunderstorms arrived and stayed with us into the early evening. The rains subsided a bit after 7:00pm, so I decided to do a run out to Ladder #1 and get in a quick swim.

The water temperature was quite pleasant at Ladder #1 in just my swim trunks. No immersion shock or thermoclines, so the heavy rains and winds had not affected the 68F mark one bit. But the water still had a 12-inch chop along with some rolling swells. This combination provided a “perfect storm” for vertigo – which began to settle in once I started swimming.

I stayed close to Ladder #1 and opted to do back-and-forth laps parallel to the wall. But I was surprised at how quickly the vertigo would set in once I slowed down or stopped completely. I tried focusing on the water rhythms, and that helped a little bit. But the only thing that really shook off the vertigo was just powering through the chops in short but intense bursts.

The key here is that when the lake gives you “washing machine” conditions, you’re not fighting a current per se. This makes it difficult to gauge the rhythms and patterns of the water movements – and the result can be dizziness or vertigo. So if you find yourself in these conditions, don’t go for a long aerobic swim. Instead, make it a short swim with higher intensity “sprints” in the water. And stay close to the edge or the shore so you can “bail out” if you start feeling too overwhelmed.

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