Don't do this

[Merman Storm]

For several years my wife and I have taken vacations on Anna Maria Island in Florida. The last couple of years I’ve taken a cloth tail for use in ocean swims. The Gulf is usually quite calm, and swimming is easy and relaxing.
This year a strong, persistent on-shore wind turned the ocean into a choppy mess. I tried swimming anyway, and found it quite demanding, getting me out of breath rapidly. The first day I went out three times, trying to figure out how to handle the water, only to return to shore in a few minutes. It was not that the waves were high (just a foot or two), it’s that they hit you once every three seconds, and would suddenly peak and break on top of you. Floating on my back was not possible without getting a face full of water. Even with that, the swimming seemed much harder than it should, and I spent quite a bit of time just standing, catching my breath. Even standing was hard, due to the chop.
In later days I tried again, and tried with a boogie board. (That failed, until I took off the tail. Then I had no issue, and even got some short rides.) On a couple of days, I did not try at all.
On the last day I planned on wearing the cloth tail, I decided to try swimming one last time. I went in through the shore break and got to where the waves were not breaking. Farther out, there was a break on a sand bar. I turned vertical to stand, and found the water was too deep to touch the bottom. That was unusual, as all other times I had gone past the shore break the water was no more than chest deep.
No issue, I’ve treaded water with a tail for many minutes at a time. Except this time, something seemed wrong with my fin. It was much harder work than in the past, and I was getting ever more out of breath. I started backing in toward shore (I did not want to turn by back on the ocean), to little effect. The shore was not getting closer, and I was getting more out of breath. I realized I was in trouble.
Was I in a rip current? I had not seen any in the previous days, and the water around me did not have the foam or sand a rip pulls out from the shore. Also, looking into shore it did not look like I was going out, although I was farther out than I expected. I could see that the current was carrying me along shore to my right (looking in.)
I decided to swim diagonally in and to the right, to get farther away from any rip that might be there. I went slowly, trying to minimize effort. Maybe a minute later my fin touched bottom. A few seconds later, I could stand in the wave troughs.
At that point I could brace against the current during the trough, and jump when a crest came by, letting it carry me farther in. Once the water got waist deep I de-tailed. I got both feet out of the fin, one leg out of the skin, then a wave twisted the skin about the other leg.
I slowly shuffled my way in, dragging the twisted-up tail with my right leg. Once on shore I took off the tail and looked it over. The monofin had broken almost all the way from one side to the other, with just an inch or two holding it together. The neoprene sock was also holding it together, and that gave me a little propulsion.

In retrospect, I think I was in a rip. When I looked toward shore to try and figure out what was happening and what to do, there was foamy water to my left. I think I had already reached the outer limit of the rip, and the current was moving me off to the side. Also, rips dig channels, and that may be why I found myself suddenly, unexpectedly, in deep water. By swimming to the right, I had gotten farther away from it, and helped make sure I would not be dragged back into it.

Other notes:
Over the years, I have lost two wedding rings to the sea while treading water. Because of that, I was clenching my left hand to prevent the loss of a third. A silly action that just helped tire me out faster. I should have left it home (which I have done on past swims), or let the sea have it.

I had thought about taking off the tail earlier, but I was so out of breath, and the water was so choppy, I was not sure I could. Also, it did seem to be working a little. Given what happened when I did take it off, I’m glad I did not try earlier.

At no time did my head go under water, except when I purposely ducked under a wave. I was never very far out, certainly less than 100 feet from shore, and maybe 40 feet from where I could stand. Even so, this was the only time in my life I felt I was in danger while swimming in the ocean. It can take so little.

I think swimming on the previous days was harder than I expected because my fin was close to breaking. It was excessively floppy, reducing its propulsion. Inspect your equipment before swimming!

The tail I was using consisted of a FinFun skin and a home-made fin that used the FinFun insert. To it I had added a reinforcing plate under my feet and a strap to better hold my feet to the fin. I had also heated and bent the fin, making it an angled monofin. My modifications created a high stress area that led to the failure.

Choppy waves. Deep water. Rip current. Broken monofin. No one watching me. Don’t do it.

[Kwilena]

I'm glad you're okay! Thank you for sharing this cautionary tail. Er, tale.

[Echidna]

sooner or later, every avid swimmer makes some harrowing experience with the sea.
As if to remind us that after all, we're not fish^^

although I'm curious if you had had an easier time if you had swum underwater, especially with the surf.
Not recommended, of course, if there were surfers or such around. There is a big risk to be decapitated.

[Mermaid_Rain]

The Gulf is very fickle. Where I am (on the other side of the Mississippi river), the currents are very strong most days so I always have an abundance of caution going out. I'm very happy to hear you came out relatively unscathed! Rip currents are one of the few things that scare me about the sea.

[Merman Storm]

...
although I'm curious if you had had an easier time if you had swum underwater, especially with the surf.
Not recommended, of course, if there were surfers or such around. There is a big risk to be decapitated.

Going out through the shore break, I did go under the waves. But there the water was so shallow that I could not use the fin, I pulled myself along with my hands. Once the water got deep enough to swim, I did a few strokes, ducked under one last wave just before it broke, then swung vertical to stand. But surprise! The water was too deep to stand. Holding my breath as I pulled myself through waves that hit me once every three seconds left me short of breath, and trying to tread water with a broken fin was not helping. Because of that, going under was not an option.

[TheChimera]

Glad you're safe ! Always respect the power of the big blue [emoji106][emoji225]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tealmermaid]

Glad to hear that you are safe after such an experience!

[seaair16]

Why did you not take the tail off when you got in trouble (fin fun has a video on how to take it off fast if you get in trouble)I am glad you are safe


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Velos]

Oh my, at least I know what a rip current is like, and what would happen if I was caught in one. I am so glad you are alright and the monofin didn't fully break whIle you were out there!!

[KTMaggs]

If you get caught in a rip let it take you out and wait for the flow to loosen and then swim parallel to the shore, and swim in. Two people died in a rip at my beach last week. Stay safe.


Sent from my iPhone using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)

[Mermaid Velos]

Ouch

[Mermaid Velos]

I thought the immediate thing you should do is swim to a side then swim in

[KTMaggs]

I thought the immediate thing you should do is swim to a side then swim in

No!! The current is too strong and you end up using all of your energy, let it take you out until the current loosens and ten swim to the side and swim in. Rips are basically just parts of the water that seem calm but it’s where the waves go after they wash ashore, and it’s a really strong current.


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[Mermaid Velos]

Ohhhh, that makes so much more sense then what I thought they were.... then again I am land locked and swim in pools mainly.....

[KTMaggs]

Ohhhh, that makes so much more sense then what I thought they were.... then again I am land locked and swim in pools mainly.....

I used to live 20 mins away from the ocean but now I live an hr and a half away from that same beach. My family is all from that beach and around there so I grew up a fish.


Sent from my iPhone using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)

[Merman Storm]

At the time, I was not sure I was in a rip. The water around me had no foam or sand dragged out from the shore. Also, when I looked in, it did not appear I was going out, just sideways. I elected to go in diagonally, in the direction of my drift. That way if I was in a rip, I would be moving away from it, and if I was not, I would be moving in.
As for taking off the tail, there were two considerations. First, it seemed to be helping me a little. Next, I was so so so out of breath I was not sure I could spare even two seconds to take off the tail.
In the end, when I did take off the tail, the choppy water twisted it and wrapped it around one leg. I glad I did not have that happen in deep water.

[Mermaid Velos]

I am just glad you made it out in one piece... and alive for that matter.

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