Our club, together with Ecuadorian clubs organized the first ever open water swim in the Galapagos. OK, admittedly, it was in the bay at Porta Ayorta so not a rough water swim at all. It was however my FIRST open water swim and perhaps my last! I do prefer swimming pools! The salty water was awful & I gagged but quickly switched to backstroke, my best stroke and one that kept my mouth & nose out of the water.
There was a swarm/school of tiny jellyfish (what is a collection of jelly fish called??? Herd? Mob? School?) and those who swam the longer distance (5K) were stung a lot. The antidote to stinging welts was vinegar!! The coach sent someone across the street to the local store to get a bottle. It quickly ended the stinging.
Those of us who swam the shorter distance (2k) were apparently on the edge of the Jellyfish swarm and only a few of us experiences stings, and minor ones at that.
We used water taxis to take us out to the starting point in the bay (see picture above) and then we jumped off the boat & lined up (roughly) and the Ecuadorian official blew the start whistle. Then we tried to find our way into the dock. Since it was my first open water swim, I had no experience 'sighting' so I repeatedly went off course. Eventually Nancy, a terrific person, and I swam together and finished together. The second picture is of me as I am swimming free style to reach the dock. The 5K swimmers were on the dock taking pictures & yelling encouragement. It was almost fun.
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