Hi there!
When I have gone swimming in the ocean in Hawaii and the Florida Keys, I have loved having my open water swim buoy!
In short, an open water swim buoy is a relatively small personal float.
A swim buoy is a flotation device that can be used for snorkeling and open water swimming.
You can swim along and the float will move along with you.
There’s a strap that you buckle in around your waist.
Once you get in the water, start swimming, and it still stick with you right behind you!
Most of the time, you won’t even notice it.
Many times I have looked behind me just to check it’s still there since I don’t even notice it when I’m swimming!
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More things to pack for snorkeling
- Swimming shirt
- Cheap waterproof phone case
- Water shoes
- What to pack for Hawaii
- What to pack for the Florida Keys
Top 3 reasons you need a swim buoy for open water swimming!
I bought a Safer Swimmer float years ago and I am still using the same one today.
The New Wave swim float is a similar type of open water swim buoy.
If you’re a triathlete, you’re probably familiar with xterra wetsuits.
There is also the xterra swim float.
Now…
Here is why the open water swim buoy is perfect for open water swimming:
1. Be seen!
In general, the open water swim buoy makes it so that you can be spotted in the water more easily.
I was mostly open water swimming for snorkeling, but of course the same would apply even if you’re just generally swimming along.
Of course, it’s best to never go open water swimming alone, and it’s best to never go snorkeling alone. 😜
Most of the time, I am snorkeling alone.
So one of the big reasons I like swimming with a (bright!) personal float is so I can be seen more easily from shore.
This way, if something happens to me, at least there’s a better chance of someone noticing. 😜
Sometimes I also put on a similarly bright yellow swim T-shirt to be seen!
👆 Drying my swimming shirts at a campground in the Florida Keys, including a bright yellow swimming T-shirt.
👆 Snorkeling tour in the Florida Keys: I’m not the only one who has a bright yellow swimming shirt! 😆
Similarly, if you are swimming or snorkeling with a buddy, the swim buoy can be nice if you’re not swimming right next to your snorkeling buddy.
Your buddy can look up and easily spot you.
And then, if there’s someone in your family who’s staying on the beach or the snorkeling boat and not going in the water, it can be a way for them to spot you more easily from shore or the boat.
And while it’s best not to be swimming in the path of a boat, if you are swimming where boats might be passing through, a swim buoy will also allow you to be spotted more easily.
The most common colors for an open water swim buoy are orange or yellow.
2. FLOAT instead of treading water.
A swim buoy is a float.
So if you’re swimming out in deeper waters, you can use the float to take a break!
Otherwise, if you don’t have a float, the only way to “rest” from swimming is to tread water.
I really like having the open water swim buoy when snorkeling in deeper water where I can’t touch the bottom!
For example on snorkeling tours you might get around an hour of snorkeling time out in the open waters.
The tow float can give you a bit of a break if you want to take one instead of having to constantly tread water!
Or you can also swim back to the boat if you want a break.
But no need to swim back to the boat when you have your own personal float!
Even snorkeling from shore, if you’re further out, you can get a rest in the open water!
I pretty much always take this personal float with me when I go snorkeling and didn’t fully appreciate how great it is to be able to take a break now and then until I went swimming and snorkeling in some Florida springs without the float.
I didn’t bring it with me thinking I’m not going out that far or long so I will be fine without it.
Well, I was SO wishing I would have brought the float along so I didn’t have to be treading water so much!
3. Dry bag
There are open water swim buoys that come with a dry bag.
There are open water swim buoys that DON’T come with a dry bag.
My float did have a dry bag.
Another reason I liked having the personal float is because I’d bring my phone (with waterproof phone case) into the water with me, and when I wasn’t trying to take pictures, I found it useful to store my phone in this dry bag instead of having to swim with the phone in my hand.
You can reasonably easily put in and take out small things of the dry bag portion, even when the float is blown up.
How to wear the open water swim buoy
The open water swim buoy has a strap that you put around your waist.
You simply buckle the strap around the waist, adjust the strap so it’s comfortable, and then off you go swimming in the open waters!
Basically you’ll drag the float behind you as you’re swimming.
You’ll hardly notice it!
And that’s a bit about how to use an swim buoy for open water swimming!
More things to pack for snorkeling:
Snorkeling in Hawaii:
Snorkeling in the Florida Keys:
- What to pack for the Florida Keys
- Florida Keys snorkeling spots
- Key West snorkeling spots
- Bahia Honda State Park
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
HAPPY OPEN WATER SWIMMING WITH A PERSONAL TOW FLOAT!