…rocky road ice cream is to vanilla…
…tow-in surfing on Maui is to a wave pool in Ohio…
…NASCAR is to a passenger vehicle…
…a rainbow is to a clear sky…
…high heels are to sneakers…
…a 10-meter platform dive is to a jump from a pool deck…
…haute couture is to school uniforms…
…mixed martial arts is to yoga…
…a smörgåsbord is to In n Out…
…Lady Gaga is to Frank Sinatra…
…Las Vegas is to Houston…
…Cirque du Soleil is to Romeo and Juliet…
…roller coaster is to a merry go round…

You know what you are going to get in the pool: a precise distance in regulated water temperatures made calm by lane lines and a gutter system. However, the uniformity and standardization found in the pool is no where to be found in the open water.

Whereas the pool, you know what to expect, you can expect the unexpected in the open water. Whereas you know what the pool has to offer, you can predict unpredictability in the open water.

Both the pool and the open water present two complimentary and contrasting sides of the wonderful world of aquatics.

Photo shows 2-time Olympian Melissa Gorman in an AquaDiva swimsuit.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source