Fear Revisited
As I swim longer in the ocean, I am getting more comfortable. I am acclimating to the temperature and not as concerned as I have been about marine life.
I have talked with Dena Matkin, an orca expert in Glacier Bay. She said I shouldn’t be too concerned. The resident orcas are fish eaters (I am not a fish). The pups may come over to me out of curiosity but shouldn’t be a threat. The transient population, the mammal eaters (I am a mammal) will most likely stay away because of the expected boat activity around me. When pressed, she finally said,
We do have sharks.Hmmm... Dena is contacting people in Juneau who study sharks to see if there are any concerns. Especially for the night swims.
I've had a couple porpoise encounters. A couple times they were so close I could hear them under water (sound just like dolphins – obviously). I poked my head up and Alain, my kayaker said, “They are all around you."
"How close," I asked.
"Within 20 feet.”
To my amazement I didn’t panic. Of course my rational mind knows porpoise won’t hurt me but it doesn’t always prevent the feeling of vulnerability. Anyways, I actually started peering under water to see if I could catch a glimpse of them. This is a bit of a break through for me - only a month ago I didn’t even like having my eyes open under water.
As for the cold temps, I am adjusting well. I went for a 2-hour swim today and as long as I kept moving I felt fine. Unfortunately, I had just washed my moldy (like you needed to know) water bottle and left some soap in it. So my carb drink tasted awful. I came out of the ocean a bit dehydrated, but at least I wasn’t hypothermic.
Oh, another point of interest. I spoke at the last Borough Assembly meeting to ask them to support my swim. I mentioned our monetary needs, but also left open the option for a statement of support. We didn’t get any money from them (which is probably the most politically correct thing to do), but we did get this:
If anything, it is nice to be recognized. I appreciate them taking the time to unanimously come up with a statement.
Hey – Lynn Swim is in the news. Go to Goggle and type, “Steve Vick Lynn Swim” and you’ll get plenty of hits. This swim is making waves! (Links to news article also our home page.)
I have talked with Dena Matkin, an orca expert in Glacier Bay. She said I shouldn’t be too concerned. The resident orcas are fish eaters (I am not a fish). The pups may come over to me out of curiosity but shouldn’t be a threat. The transient population, the mammal eaters (I am a mammal) will most likely stay away because of the expected boat activity around me. When pressed, she finally said,
“If they begin to approach you just get out of the water and watch what they do. Then call me and tell me what happen."
We do have sharks.Hmmm... Dena is contacting people in Juneau who study sharks to see if there are any concerns. Especially for the night swims.
I've had a couple porpoise encounters. A couple times they were so close I could hear them under water (sound just like dolphins – obviously). I poked my head up and Alain, my kayaker said, “They are all around you."
"How close," I asked.
"Within 20 feet.”
To my amazement I didn’t panic. Of course my rational mind knows porpoise won’t hurt me but it doesn’t always prevent the feeling of vulnerability. Anyways, I actually started peering under water to see if I could catch a glimpse of them. This is a bit of a break through for me - only a month ago I didn’t even like having my eyes open under water.
As for the cold temps, I am adjusting well. I went for a 2-hour swim today and as long as I kept moving I felt fine. Unfortunately, I had just washed my moldy (like you needed to know) water bottle and left some soap in it. So my carb drink tasted awful. I came out of the ocean a bit dehydrated, but at least I wasn’t hypothermic.
Oh, another point of interest. I spoke at the last Borough Assembly meeting to ask them to support my swim. I mentioned our monetary needs, but also left open the option for a statement of support. We didn’t get any money from them (which is probably the most politically correct thing to do), but we did get this:
The Haines Borough Assembly recognizes the determination of Steve Vick to bring attention to the potential affects of the proposed eastside Juneau-Skagway Road on the people of the Northern Lynn Canal.
If anything, it is nice to be recognized. I appreciate them taking the time to unanimously come up with a statement.
Hey – Lynn Swim is in the news. Go to Goggle and type, “Steve Vick Lynn Swim” and you’ll get plenty of hits. This swim is making waves! (Links to news article also our home page.)
posted by Admin at
3:49 PM
Steve Vick
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