News... blog


What does the future hold....

April 30, 2013
This is the forecast for the next couple of days... as I look out the window Cape Town is the Cape of Good Hope...tomorrow is a holiday and enjoy the sunshine... Wednesday night you are going to see the Cape of Good Hope's alta ego the Cape of Storms... Friday evening the South Easter is going to come through and clean up the surf as any good doctor will do and Sunday you will see a break in the weather and pristine racing conditions...


In essence I am fortunate to have slipped between two 2 weather patterms... The edge of the next one clipping Cape Town as it swings down from west of Namibia mid-Monday.

When planning this swim the weather and the water temperature were the two elements beyond my control... It helped that this Sunday is the 1st Sunday in May so it still falls within the 1SOMS space... but I've also have 20 years of lifesaving experience under my belt.. big surf and poor conditions is what I enjoy and used to train for...when I was WPL Competition (2004-2005) I realised that competitions are about the participants ... lifesavers should be training for the poor conditions as that is when they are likely to have their mettle tested. "Vigilance and Service" is the credo of Lifesaving South Africa.

Openwater/ocean/sea-swimming has its uniqueness.
. no lane ropes, no line at the bottom of the pool , no chlorine ... it also has currents and marine life and this means that you need to fill your kit bag with new knowledge and an appreciation for the great outdoors. You need to be able to adapt... a Plan B and a Plan C are not nice-to-haves they are essentials. A route can not be planned assuming a "good day" it needs to be able to be used 7/10 occasions and how to identify those 3/10 poor conditions in advance (10 day forecasts are available) must be known.

Its cold I hear them say... well its different from a pool..it tastes fresh and clean.. that which is growing is alive (unlike that at the bottom of some pools)..Actually due to the size of the ocean it has a pretty low temperature fluctuation with extremes typically being felt after an atmospheric event such as wind. From the South East comes cold, dry air ... running with the cold Benguela current the surf gets flattened. In summer when the wind stops the view is idyllic but very likely to be cold water. From the North West comes moist, warm air.. running against the Benguela Current the swells are held up and increase in height.. combine that with the proximity to full moon and time of year and you have a recipe for large surf.

Where to next.. This Sunday is the Clifton Openwater Race Experience aka C.O.R.E 2013 ..I am hoping for it to change racing in this part of the world... why? I want to see South Africans contest at world championship events. I want to see SA'ffers bring home more Gold, Silver and Bronze medals because they have had opportunity to contest their sport on home turf meeting FINA open water rules and regulations... I want spectators to be able to watch the contest from the shores and see how tactics and strategy are needed in order to perform.

Will I succeed... Time will tell ;-) Sea u Sunday (bring binoculars)...support your swimmers
 

Clifton Openwater Race Experience 2013 .. C.O.R.E. 2013

April 23, 2013
Its been a while since I have been so excited about a racing concept... imagine a spectator friendly course that is swimmable and competitive 8/10 times...imagine seeing some of the up-and-coming swim talent contesting in a format that is new to swimming... CORE 2013 is just this.

Clifton as many knows is a North facing beach that enjoys the protection from the S'Easter in summer and has a graded wave profile. The most protected area of the bay, favoured by families and yachts alike is 4th bea...
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2012 ... Were the Mayans correct

December 30, 2012
This has been quite a year...dreams, shattered dreams and revived dreams..
As 2012 draws to a close a moment of reflection is in order I feel...

On an International view - 2012 was an Olympian year with Olympic dreams and celebrations. Manchester will be remembered for showcase of sport. South Africa Olympians and Para-Olympians excelled in their personal quest to be stronger, faster, further. The quest to rewrite the records...

To quote (or rather re-quote) a facebook posting made by a world ch...
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1st Sunday of Month Swim - 1st post Winter Solstice

June 30, 2012
A week ago (as I write) a couple of 100s (probably 200+) of Capetonians flocked down to Clifton to celebrate the passing of the Winter Solstice... I dropped by for a looksee and was impressed by the turnout.
Tomorrow is the 2nd late swim of 2012 - one more month before we revert back to summertime.. summer goals and fit-and-healthy bodies... Swimmers have the winter advantage of expecting to get wet so it should be no surprise when the do indeed get wet... Before next 1SOMS starts the 2012 Oly...
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1SOMS 2012 April

March 31, 2012
Swims in open water are continuing to grow.. new routes.. long forgotten routes.. What is the attraction??
Capetonians live in a glorious part of the world.. pristine mountains , superb beaches we are spoilt for choice as to how we spend our free time.. If asked the question - Are you enjoying yourself there are only 2 answers Yes and NO...If Yes - continue doing what you are doing ..If No - Change what you are doing as you have one life to live .

For me - I enjoy open water and especially cold...
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March 1SOMS not taking place due to venue clash

March 2, 2012
FLASH!!! WP Lifesaving are having WP Championships on Clifton 4th on 3-4 March. This leaves NO water space and with expected 3.9m swell (and growing!) this leaves no alternatives available.

Result (I am disappointed to say) is NO 1SOMS this month.
Please spread the word.
Waz
PS Good news though is 5 1SOMS and u qualify for 5000 Vitality points it seems


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What a year it has been...

December 30, 2011
Well by this stage we are deep into the Silly Season... I trust you all are well rested and enjoying the fabulous Cape Town weather... The other day I was chatting with a friend who was telling me of a friend that is a triathlete that was planning to do this "Crazy" New Year's Day Swim at Clifton... Is that not the Clifton Cold Water Mile I fished... Yeah something like that...

Well the Clifton Cold Water Mile has been a part of my life for quite some time - when I joined Clifton SLSC back in ...
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Its the last "Late" Swim of 2011

August 5, 2011
What a Winter its been.. thankfully a couple of drops of rain in the last couple of weeks have eased the dams (I hope!).. This is important not only for the crops and like but also for those who use the dams for recreation.

I believe I am on the road to recovery - the physio should shortly confirm this. I have learnt that short of NZ IRB wrestling is unlikely to gain ground as a sport...I will be the first to say DON"T DO IT!... I will also be the first to say go out and get yourslef a bright/...
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Its downhill to Summer!

June 28, 2011
Yes - the Winter Solstice has come and gone... well done to those who braved the V&A Winter Solstice dip..

This Sunday is 1SOMS and the weather forecast is bizarre . Bizarre is not a word I use lightly so what on earth am I saying should be expected?
Friday has a SE blowing - great ! that clears the water, improves the visibility and flattens the swell
Saturday starts with the wind SW and swings around the compass to NW through the course of the day==> lumpy onshore and cross-swell conditions
Sun...
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1st Swim of Winter ! What a jol...

June 6, 2011
Its been quite a season... summer that is. A new record number of participants in April (147 for those keeping count) followed by a successful participation at Iron Man South Africa (for the triathletes) and a number of Robben Island crossings.

This Sunday the 1st Sunday of Month Swim was slightly different.... I have my reasons and I believe they are sound.. Its been a long season and the number of newcomers has grown significantly. This is great to see but it does mean that I have not been a...
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About Me


Warren Fialkov Cape Town born and bred..I grew up on Clifton beach..as a nipper the lifesaver at Clifton Surf Lifesaving Club...1SOMS has it roots in the annual Clifton Cold Water Mile. I enjoy open water swimming and come from a clan of swimmers
A bit more detail about what I've done
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