Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

There is no holiday when you are a hard-core open water swimmer. You might be on vacation, but you will find yourself always looking at bodies of water and thinking, “I wonder what the water temp is? I wonder if anyone has swum there before? I wonder how long it will take to swim across?”

Yes, both the Volga and Nile rivers have been swum often in marathon races over the decades. But no one has swum the entire length.

If you are going to swim in polluted bodies of water, it is best to take the following inoculations well before you swim:

1. Gamma globulin
2. Hepatitis A, B
3. Tetanus
4. Typhoid

And, very importantly, drink Coca-cola after you get out of the water. Coca-cola is a great way to kill bad things in your gut that you may have inadvertently swallowed.

And smear mentholatum on your nostrils before and after you get out of the water to protect against airborne viruses.

You may still get sick, sometimes illnesses cannot be avoided, but the scope or duration or intensity of your illnesses will be minimized.

Steven Munatones, Founder
Copyright © 2008-2018 by World Open Water Swimming Association