As on just about any other day I dragged myself out of my warm, cozy bed, slipped on a sweatshirt and a well worn pair of pants and padded to the kitchen to make a cup of Irish breakfast tea and toast some super bread. I glanced at all the headlines and looked at the stock futures on Yahoo Finance. Did a quick search through the overnight emails. Rinsed my tea cup, brushed my teeth and headed out the door.
Destination: Swim practice.
We have three options for practices each day. There's the 7 a.m. workout for people who need to be at work by a certain time. They trend younger and more... driven...hardcore. There's the 8 a.m. workout which used to be a bit tamer but lately has had the ante raised up by a new coach. At 8 we talk less and swim further. And then there's the noon workout which is well coached but it's understood that some people might customize the workout presented on the board and relax a bit more...
I used to be a dyed in the wool 7 a.m.-er and during the early days of the pandemic, when we were trying to spread out attendance to manage proximity, I was an ardent 6 a.m. attendee. Lately, I've aimed for the middle ground and now am most likely to show up for the 8.
Today was a bit daunting. We started with about 1200 yards of warm up (48 pool lengths) and then hit the main set. It was written like this:
6 x 75 yards. 50 of those yards (two lengths) were butterfly and 25 were freestyle. These were on a 1:15 minute interval.
300 yard freestyle at 85% pace.
6 x 75 yards. 50 of those yards backstroke and 25 yards freestyle. Also on a 1:15 interval
300 yard freestyle at 90% pace. (descend completion time by 5 or 10 seconds).
6 x 75 yards. 50 of those yards breaststroke and 25 yards backstroke. Same interval.
300 yards freestyle attempting to descend the time from the last two 300s. (good luck!).
One fast 100 I.M. (a lap of each stroke)
200 yards of freestyle to warm down.
About 3500 yards (about 142 pool lengths, many flip turns, much hard breathing) of fast paced, multi-stroke swimming by 9 a.m. A great way to start the day out.
I'm thinking about going back for the noon workout, just because....
Later this afternoon B. and I are going over to the HRC to hear a talk by Laura Wilson and to get a copy of Wilson's new book. A great way to wrap up the day.
This is the first year in a long time that I've let a birthday slip by without getting a fun camera as a self-gift. But I'd never let a birthday week pass without lots of swimming. Gotta keep those priorities straight.
guilty admission. I do have a lens headed my way. It's a Voightlander 40mm f1.4 in the Leica M mount and I also have an M to L mount adapter coming with it. Trying it out over the weekend as a small, fast, light lens to match with the Sigma fp as a pared down travel kit. More words coming once I've put my hands on it.
Who has opinions about dive watches? I mean real dive watches. 20 ATM or better. Preferrably PADI certified...
22 comments:
Hi Kirk
A 20ATM dive watch would have you diving to 200m. Not sure you want to do that! PADI only go down to around 45m. Stay in the pool?
Anonymous, a watch rated at 20ATM doesn't force you to dive to 200 meters. It's up to you. You can wear an 20ATM rated watch and just frolic in the pool. But....the ATM measurement is a non-kinetic submersion and swimmers generate different and changing impacts and water pressures by dint of their kinetic interface with water. A bit of extra protection just means a longer useful life at lesser depths and there is no downside to the tighter construction. Except for price. But with a Casio Duro you can get a (Non-PADI) 20ATM rated watch for about $45. Far less than some of the less durable junk on the watch market...
And..... I do get outside the pool. Thinking of taking up free diving soon.... (not really).
First, sorry for posting anonymously. Second, sorry for the misunderstanding. Only worried about your safety at your advanced age! (63 year old PADI dive master here). PS - happy birthday!
Re dive watches, I don't have specific device to offer but a couple of data points that might be instructive. I enjoyed my Suunto until it fogged on the inside of the crystal. Never a good sign. Even worse, they've had it for a month now with still no firm date for repair/return. It's still in warrantee but what good is that if they have it rather than me. On the other hand, my Seiko SKX-009 has been bulletproof for almost 5-years. I haven't even managed to scratch the crystal. Love it.
John
Don't get hung up on PADI certified. They will put their name on just about anything if they get paid for it. I dove professionally for many years. For recreational diving a Timex Iron Man or Casio G Shock is all you need.
I dove with dive computers but always had one of the above as a backup.
Eric
John, Yay! for Seikos.
Alex, No harm/no foul. I love dive watches. I've gone to 65 feet on a couple of dives but nothing further. Still having a watch you can count on does keep one out of trouble. My current fave is the Citizen Diver Eco-Drive but I'd like to change up to an automatic movement and invest in something really good. Not Rolex good but better than my Citizen.
I follow the dive rules to the letter. It can be a dangerous sport. At least I know if I make it back to the surface I have a better than average chance of swimming back to the boat.
Tissot Seamaster?
Happy Birthday, Kirk! 67’s the new 57!
Been a way for a while dealing with a house/town move. As a former triathlon swimmer, your workout sounds exhausting…especially the butterfly portion that I would simply have to pass on.
Enjoy the new lens.
Steve
If you want a dive watch that, you know, tells the time every day and that you can swim with, and carefully dive with, all the above are fine. I dove with a Shearwater Perdix AI which is now in the possession of a dive-obsessed friend and it ain't coming back. But, it's a dive computer, worn like a watch (but on the right wrist) and thinking back, I don't believe I actually ever tried to tell the time with it. I think there's a time readout on the third or fourth screen, but that's...just a guess. I mean, you know about what time you went in, and the computer tells you when to get out (and when to get the F*CK out) so why do you need to know the exact time? To take a phone call?
Apple watch Ultra. With the orange band. Just ordered one myself. Good to 100m. Keeps track of all the good health/exercise stats also.
And to comment on the comment by Steve Miller, it's my experience that 67 is the new 66 1/2.
As a fellow 1955er, it's good to welcome you to the club.
Fun day. Got to hang out at the HRC and listen to a presentation by Laura Wilson about her new book of photographs. Interviewed by her long time friend, Chip McGrath. Nice reception after. A day of fine art indulgence. Her son, Luke Wilson (American actor) was in the audience along with one of my fellow daily swimmers who is a former Olympian and now also the CEO of a very successful hedge fund. B. and I had a blast.
Now eating cake. Must run.
When I used to dive I used the Timex Ironman. However for a 'nicer' watch I like Chris Ward, see what you think: https://www.christopherward.com/dive-watches
Happy Birthday Kirk! For your consideration - Mido Ocean Star 600 Chronometer. Certified COSC movement and good to a depth of 600M. Cheers JimB.
You might want to look at Vaer. All are rated to 20ATM, most are assembled in Arizona by ATS, with options for Japanese automatic movements, or even US-made quartz movements! I have one of their field watches and it's pretty sweet. -Eugene
I am a Citizen user and would highly recommend a citizen Diver. Some are even synced to GPS satellites for always accurate time and are powered by the sun so no batteries and seals to open and crack. All kinds of price ranges, too. Go to Citizen.com and look at Chrono24.com also.
By coincidence there's a comparative review on Tech Radar today
For a dive watch you can’t beat Seiko. The previously mentioned SKX-007 is a great relatively inexpensive choice but not PADI approved. However every SKX-007 watch was tested by Seiko before it shipped which is unusual. They feature bi-directional winding so they are not likely to run out of power. They don’t produce this watch anymore but you can still buy new ones for $500. Add a “super oyster” bracelet and Marinemaster” clasp and you’ve got a watch you can wear with or without a wet suit for less than $800 or save $ and just use the rubber strap. Alternatively the Seiko Prospex line has a variety of choices most good for 200m or more starting at $1200 which is still much less than Rolex or Omega. They are more modern design and upgraded movements and some have interesting nicknames like “Tuna” or “Sumo” or “Turtle” or “Willard” ( named for a character in Apocolypse Now who wore it). A model SPB143 is a classic remake. Be careful to select an automatic and not electronic version (although the spring drive watches are interesting).
Hope you don’t “retire“ the blog. I look forward to each post and often learn something ina general way useful to my shooting. I can put up your swim asides just like I do Mike Johnston’s pool ramblings.
Before I made my earlier contribution, I should have asked - analog or digital? Admittedly the analog has the classic "look" but the digital is technically superior. Remind you of anything?
Happy birthday, and hello from Canada. I have always enjoyed your blog posts. My recommendation for a watch would be Marathon watches, designed in Canada and manufactured in Switzerland. They supply watches for the US Air Force and Army, NATO and other countries, and a variety of search and rescue organizations worldwide. Serious automatic and quartz time pieces, classic designs made to withstand a lot of abuse. I have several and really like the Arctic MSAR.
Hi Kirk--happy birthday! Hard to beat a Seiko diver for value, but a few other suggestions at various price points: Squale 1521, Stowa Seatime, Omega 2254.0, Eterna Kontiki (older version with the topgraphic/sea floor dial), older IWC Aquatimer, Tudor Pelagos (older version and the newer FXD), Oris Divers 65, Longines Legend (reissue).
Cheers! Always look forward to reading your posts. Will be interested to see what you ultimately select for your travel camera kit.
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