Prop. bet: Swimming 1000 yards in open sea- trip report- long, w/Cliff

[PokerAmateur4]

Proposition bet: Swimming 1000 yards in open sea (trip report- long, with cliff notes):


I realize I could have posted this in “Other Gambling”, but I think since it’s a trip report it fits here too, plus there are elements outside of gambling. OOT rules.
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A friend and I walk down to a beach in Southern California. Volleyball commences for two hours or so with high school and college kids we know. Like 5 guys and 3 girls are sitting around with me on the sand next to the courts, and I am drinking a canned coca-cola. I start talking about the Pepsi-challenge, which leads to discussion on the feasibility of drinking a gallon of milk, and the saltine challenge (6 crackers in one minute).

I don’t know how it evolved, but a punk friend in the group challenged me to swim to this buoy which is a fair but not extreme distance from the beach. It’s about 8 times the distance where the surfers ride the outer break, I would estimate.

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Stats:
I’m a skinny young kid, 5’11”, no real experience swimming. No running outside of minimum requirements in P.E. years ago. I played tennis for a while, fairly, along with other sports like occasional surfing, volleyball, etc. No real long term cardio of any kind. I use to be asthmatic, but have overcome that and grown out of it. I am not a naturally superior athlete in any capacity.
--

The discussion proceeded:
Hero: There’s no way that I am doing that, I can’t.
Guy 1(the original proposer): I will pay you $5.
H: That’s not worth it at all; I have never swum anywhere near that far.
G1: I could do that, and I’m not a swimmer.
*We argued about what constitutes a swimmer, whether it simply is being one who swims or one who is good at it*
Group: That’s not hard, it’s so close, etc.

I kept on being a wuss, arguing about conditions of the bet, eventually I concluded that my terms would be $35 from the guys, I would have 30 minutes, and that I would swim in my sweat pants which I was wearing. They said ok go, and then I realized that I would not have a wetsuit and that the water is often 50 degrees or so. Upon realizing this I started to sort of reconsider since I realized that I only have gone into the water this early in the year in a wetsuit. They claim I already agreed, I must, etc., I think about that.

I go to the edge of the water and feel the temperature, it was warmer than normal, maybe in the early 60s, I really don’t know. I walked over to the lifeguard and we spoke for a while, he thought I was pulling his leg. He said that the distance one way was 500 yards, which seemed a lot larger than I would have guessed. We discussed possible strategy, he said there’s nothing he can teach me right here on land, and that while he would dip his head down and freestyle the whole thing, I would probably try that for 30 seconds and then proceed to flounder and try to breaststroke and dog paddle it. He concluded that there is a good chance that I begin to drown, and that this would end up in him getting wet, rescuing me, and embarrassment. While not preferable, I had no problem with that, and he said “go for it”. I thanked him and walked back to the group I was with.

They did not believe that it could be 500 yards.

Group: How about it?
H: Ok, I’m starting.

We all walk down and they set a mark in the sand which I must cross within 30 minutes of leaving for the red buoy.


I look at the clock as the display alternates between “Verizon Wireless” and 6:22. We agree that I am to start at 6:23 and must be back by 6:53. “6:23” – “Go!”.

Yard 1-40:
I take off running awkwardly and fall, then begin swimming in the shallow water freestyle. I then get up and begin first running, then jogging in the sand to pace myself.

Yard 41-150:
As the water level approached that which I could not stand on, I stopped to get my breath and prepare the energy necessary to make the trek. I start out feeling great, the water didn’t feel too cold, and I was freestyling at a half decent clip, not fast, but moving. I continued switching between freestlye, breastroke, and a good amount of dog paddling for good measure. The lifeguards predictions prove to be valid so far.
I am generally out of shape so the freestyle got very tiring very quickly.

Yard 151-225:
Ok, I’m getting rather tired, muscularly, but mostly I found trouble staying afloat well and breathing at a comfortable tempo. I felt my lungs begin to hurt some at this stage.

Yard 250:
Regardless of the pain, I feel embiggend that I have decided to do this, and feel a powerful battle against the sea is at hand, looking back to the shore it seems a good distance away and the surfers are a fair distance away too. I consider what I know of moby dick through pop culture references.

Yard 300:
I begin to think that this was likely a poor decision. I ponder if there is a strong chance of me just not being able to continue between here and yard 500.

Yard 350:
Now I’m sure this was a bad idea, as I feel my life is at some small yet significant risk of danger. I begin to think about how deep the water is, sharks, jellyfish, and the prospect of turning back, but I quickly wipe all those thoughts from my mind, and continue with breaststroke.

Yard 400:
Yes, I am no swimmer, even though I am one who swims. At this point the shore looked very far away to me, and my bobbing head barely above water was very isolated from anyone else. This was a new sensation and I enjoyed it earlier, the strong feeling that I was battling the elements of the sea, cold, depth, currents, wind, etc.

Yard 420:
I treaded water and seriously considered turning back for about 15 seconds, I decide that, while extremely fatigued, I should continue, for honor and for the fact that I could rest at the buoy only 80 yards away, while the shore was much further away. Inspired by the prospect of rest, I continue with a paced vigor mixing in all the kinds of swimming that I know.

Yard 500:
A milestone, very tired I calm down and take deep breaths while holding on to the rope of the buoy and resting my legs on it. I try to climb on top of it for a minute, which was not smart, and did not work of course. I rest for about 1 minute, then take off .

Yard 500-100
I figured that I already was near 30 minutes and thought mostly that I need to get to shore before becoming too tired and I did not want to deal with the lifeguard getting me, hopefully in time. I swim at average much faster than the rate at which I originally got to the buoy at. Eventually waves help me out and I try to move with them, probably currents too. It seems far away but I have adrenaline going nicely now and facing the shore helped to make it seem more manageable.

Yard 90:
Leg cramp, crap, I try to stretch it but it makes it worse. I tread water but then decide to freestyle it while extending my leg fully.

Yard 90-0:
I half jog it in, almost stepping on a sting ray.

I walk up to the kids and the guys have their thumbs down saying I missed it by 4 minutes. I am not fazed, as it was an accomplishment for me. Actually I did make it, as one of the girls phones read 6:43. It took me 20 minutes. I laid down very tired, but the adrenaline was still there. I felt numb but fine, and eventually I started shivering despite not feeling cold. I wrapped myself in a towl and jacket but my wet sweat pants were still cold. People said I looked like I am dieing but I thought I was fine and that it was no big deal.

Some girls drove me to my car and I took a hot shower and went to my bed wrapped in clothes and blankets, listened to hip hop.

I know this isn’t a big feat at all, but for me it was an endurance trial and I have not experienced such a thing.

Hero +$35.


Cliff Notes: I took a bet for $35 from someone saying that I couldn’t swim 500 yards in open ocean and back, I won the bet.

[traz]

i hope you are poor

[PokerAmateur4]

[ QUOTE ]
i hope you are poor

[/ QUOTE ]Not really, kinda, I'm a student with a bankroll/savings. No real substantial income.

I am very glad I did this, it was a great experience and I made $105/hour which is good for me.

[Borodog]

No offense, but given your description of yourself, you had no real way of assessing the risk to yourself. I believe this was probably a foolhardy thing to do.

What if your mom had to tell people for the next 40 years that her son died for $35?

[PokerAmateur4]

[ QUOTE ]
No offense, but given your description of yourself, you had no real way of assessing the risk to yourself. I believe this was probably a foolhardy thing to do.

What if your mom had to tell people for the next 40 years that her son died for $35?

[/ QUOTE ]
Good point. If not backed by the lifeguard I would probably not have done this.

[WSUchica]

1st off: hahahahaha I loved the notes about how you progressed from it MAYBE being a bad idea to it DEFINITELY being a bad idea...very funny indeed

2nd: I swam in high school and am very impressed by this! 1000 yards is no small feat, the longest race we had was the 500 (yards) and girls who trained all year HATED doing it. I find it very impressive that a non-swimmer made it 1000 yards especially considering you were not doing it in a pool with lane lines...I can't imagine doing that kind of yardage with waves working against you

Nice work!

[Bluffoon]

There was some risk but at least you had someone there who was trained who could try to save you. So not too smart but not that dumb either and you got a chance to test yourself and you passed. Good for you.

[Fryguy]

I don't think I would jump in 60 degree water fully clothed and then come back out for $35, let alone swim any distance.

[Borodog]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No offense, but given your description of yourself, you had no real way of assessing the risk to yourself. I believe this was probably a foolhardy thing to do.

What if your mom had to tell people for the next 40 years that her son died for $35?

[/ QUOTE ]
Good point. If not backed by the lifeguard I would probably not have done this.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am quite certain that had you gotten in serious trouble at any real distance from the shore you would have drowned before the lifeguard got anywhere near you.

[PokerAmateur4]

As an addendum, one of my friends said he would chip in to up it to $40 if I used a wetsuit. We all figured this would weigh me down and make it harder, and I didn't think it was that cold, so I went without. Later I read in Wikipedia's entry on "Long-distance swimming":

"
Marathon swimming is an endurance sport that pits a lone swimmer against all that a body of water can offer. According to International Swimming Federation rules, swimmers cannot use wet suits. Wet suits provide extra buoyancy that can lead to artificially increased speed, or apparent endurance, of the person wearing the suit. Even in the frigid waters of the English Channel, the marathon swimming governing bodies refuse to recognise or monitor swims involving the use of wet suits. American swimmer Ted Erikson, who swam the second two-way crossing of the English Channel in 1965, likens wearing a wet suit in a marathon swim to completing the Tour de France on a moped.
"