How Many World Records this Year?

Just in case you were wondering if the new Speedo suits were making a difference in the number of record setting performances, you might check some prior years to this figure I've posted here. It blew me away. So far, in 2008, according to Swimming World Magazine, there were ... drumroll please ... 108 world records! OMG!

Swimming in Winter - Fail

Tis the season to start contemplating the annual polar bear jump.

At first, I thought this was just another video of someone jumping into a cold pond.

Wrong.

Enjoy!

Evil Water - How Water Can Work Against You

Have you ever had a swim day where the water just seemed to work against you? Did you put it off to some issue with your own physical ability for that day? Or something in your mind? I just read an absolutely fascinating article in New Scientist about how water can actually work against your stroke. Scientists were wondering why apparently strong swimmers were reporting trouble with the water - some even drowned.

Investigators discovered that different temperature gradients in water (i.e. warm on top, cooler down below) can create a wave between them which can work against the swim stroke propulsion by as much as 40 percent!

I'm filing a patent today for a big pool-water blender to keep the water temperature consistent throughout (kidding!).

Dolphins, Dolphins and More Dolphins

I've always thought it would be cool to swim with dolphins - not in some amusement park pool, but in the wild. That said, I'm partial to videos about them. Yesterday, this video started making the rounds on the internet. It's by far the coolest dolphin video I have ever seen. It gets better as it progresses. Be sure to stick through to the end - hint, the link I found to this video was entitled, Dolphin Stampede. They weren't exageratingg.

Would this make swim suits even faster?

Some weeks ago, I posited that golf ball dimple technology might make for the next generation of swim suit design (think beyond those suits they wore in Beijing). I've now found an excellent video that shows in detail exactly what I mean. It's an excellent example of how the dimple reduces friction through the medium the ball must travel. I see parallels with swim suits and water dynamics. Fluid dynamic folks ... am I on track here?