The Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide 79
It is far better if you get folded by a big chopping wave to have your shoulder
dislocated than for you to become quadriplegic from a cervical spine injury. Avoid
shorebreaks; the waves are unpredictable and going over the falls may yield a screaming
descent straight onto the beach sand. Instead try to find a good “grab and release” break
where the wave stands up nicely and then breaks back into deeper water.
Another open water issue you may be faced with is that of sharks. They commonly
attack solitary swimmers, particularly freestylers: the solitary, beefy organism making arm
slaps against the surface of the water. Avoid swimming in places where you may resemble
part of the food chain, but even then there appears to be protection in numbers. A good
example is La Jolla Cove near San Diego. Here triathletes swim and Great White sharks eat
small mammals all in the same day. Avoid swimming in the evening and get out of the
ocean if you get bloodied too much in the surf.
Sharks virtually never attack
swimmers in groups.
Swimming Pool Gear
Goggles
The most important gear for pool training is a good set of goggles. Get goggles that
can be adjusted across the bridge of the nose. The fog-free goggles work better than they
used to, but they do lose this quality relatively quickly under hard use and are much more
expensive.
Kickboard
A kickboard is essential. They come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, but all
do basically the same thing.
Pullbuoy
A cheap, but essential, piece of training gear, the pullbuoy fits between the
swimmer's legs for specific types of swim drills.
Hand Paddles