Should I wear a tow float?

Open water training and event season is starting soon in the US, and that means swimmers of all skill levels will flock to all possible swimming spots to enjoy the warming waters, sunshine, and the feeling of floating away from stress and land problems. I'm a firm believer that swimming will solve most of your problems most of the time, and that you should absolutely take every opportunity to go enjoy the water.

As you start packing for your open water swimming excursion, you might ask yourself, "Do I really need to wear a tow float?"

Yes. Absolutely, no questions about it, yes, you do. I don't care if you choose my Quackpacker model or a regular bubble buoy, but please, for the love of all things wet, wear a tow float.

Why?

The most frequently provided reason is that a tow float makes you visible to watercraft and other swimmers. I'm sure every open water swimmer has collided with another swimmer at least once; each collision I've had has been because a swimmer wearing a black cap, a black wetsuit, dark goggles who isn't sighting frequently enough to see me swims across my path or into me. Without a tow float, I never saw them coming. For those of us swimming in areas with a lot of recreational boater activity, it's similarly difficult to see a swimmer, especially when you're in a fast-moving motorboat and there are waves. Even if a swimmer is wearing a bright swim cap and has a colorful suit on, they're still pretty camouflaged, easily overlooked, or mistaken for a log or disturbance in the water.

A tow float can also act as support equipment if you're not feeling well. It can be tiring to tread water and fix your goggles and manage a foot cramp that's coming on. I've been nauseous in frisky water and just needed a minute to hold onto something and puke for a minute or two. Having something that can support your weight and provide buoyancy can be critical to not panic.

A tow float can also be a critical piece of equipment to respond to someone else having an emergency. While swimming at a large pond, I heard another swimmer calling for help. They had tweaked their shoulder in the middle of the pond, about a quarter of a mile from shore, and was exhausted trying to kick and float back in pain. She didn't have a buoy, but I loaned her mine (this was a few years before I started using the Quackpacker). She hugged my bubble float while floating on her back, and I was able to help her kick/swim back to shore. The added buoyancy, plus a handhold on the buoy/leash, made it a lot easier for me to tow her.

It also doesn't seem worth it to leave something super important, like medication, on shore. I'd rather have the ability to reach an inhaler or EPI pen, versus trying to race to get back to my stuff on shore. A few folks have also told me that the ability to keep their phone on them while they swim allows their glucose and heart rate monitoring apps to link to their smart watches, providing real-time feedback if there's a possible health issue.

If everything has gone horribly wrong and the person wearing a tow float is unconscious or has passed away, a tow float can help rescuers quickly find and recover that swimmer. Sadly, there have been instances of swimmers disappearing below the surface, even during events, and their bodies were not found for a considerable length of time. Read more about Dr. Charles Vanderhorst in NYC.

Although the trend hasn't yet fully caught on in the US, there are many swim events across the world that require swimmers to wear a tow float to participate. I hope that more race organizers in the US see the value in each swimmer having a personal tow float. As younger athletes join us in the open water, I also hope parents insist on their swimmers wearing tow floats for open water playtime and training swims.

If you're heading out to swim in open water, wear a tow float. Us on-shore worriers, fellow swimmers, and the community at large thank you.