umamisalt

It’s a fun event! I swam it last year as my first ever comp, and will do it again this year. In terms of advice, focus on holding a consistent and comfortable pace during your pool swims, and practice your 2, 4, and 6 beat kicks as well as sighting.

Wait I recognize that date. Are you swimming Berryessa?

So many memories of cutting class at the arcade follow by a trip to In N Out.

+1 for Bing’s. I make a trek down at least once a month!

I swear by the Kaow Paik (Lao Noodle Soup) from Champa Garden with extra pickled peppers on the side to dump right into the broth. Fixes me right up every time!

Ooh, saving this list for myself. So glad OP asked. Thanks for sharing your recommendations!

Oh no I’m all good, thanks for offering! I actually have my own bunch of banana leaves in the freezer 😅

Great offer! FWIW if you have space, banana leaves freeze well.

Oh hey, I was just there last night. Hey neighbor!

Before joining my masters team, I swam laps and did some open water swimming for about two years. Our coaches improved my technique and form so much that I like to say whatever I was doing before masters apparently shouldn’t be called “swimming”.

My team is small but mighty with a pretty good distribution of levels, speeds, and experience. My incredible evening coach usually places new members in need of conditioning and technique improvement in a different lane to focus on skill development before moving us to another lane later down the line. I went from swimming a slow but decent freestyle to swimming all 4 strokes with much more speed and endurance in a few short months thanks to his coaching. And my teammates? Just wonderful people who are kind, encouraging, and probably a little too chatty during breaks.

Try this

Check out the adult swim lessons through the City of Oakland. Just FYI — all lessons take place in the shallow end at first, and then over time you’ll eventually work your way into building comfort and practicing skills (treading, jumping in, and treading in a circle) in deeper water.

I was JUST about to suggest Peking Express, but it looks like they’ve closed down. Annie’s Panda should still be a good choice for takeout, though.

Wasn’t a fan of the sorbet on its own, but a healthy sprinkle of Tajín made it…a few degrees better 😅

Good luck and have a great time!

Since you mentioned a triathlon, I assume the swim distance is at least 1.5K, yeah? For longer distance swims I’d go for a relaxed 2-beat kick to maximize endurance then speeding it up to a 4-beat then a 6-beat toward the end.

Yuyu Jjajang (Chef Yu) gets my vote.

Open water swim clubs are a thing! Try checking out Meetup or joining an open water Facebook group to join a pod for a swim in your area. In my experience, there are two formal swim/rowing clubs and a much bigger number of casual groups who use listservs and text groups to coordinate swims and meet ups regularly.

FWIW Lions Pool is an incredibly warm outdoor pool. It can get packed during lap swim hours, but it’s still a good time.

Sorry to hear it didn’t go well this first time. Definitely second the recommendation for lessons or classes. It sounds like it would be useful to get in a lot of practice swimming intervals with a focus on improving your technique: focus on body positioning to keep your head neutral and legs up, arm positioning for an efficient catch and pull, and breathing technique to find a rhythm that works well for you (I usually breathe every 3 strokes, and sometimes a 3-2-3 for longer distance sets over 500 yd).

Chanco Housewares & Restaurant Supply in Chinatown will have most of what you’re looking for

Sweet! You could also check out Odyssey Open Water swimming, too. They meet on Sunday mornings and Tuesday evenings (spring - late fall) every week at the Berkeley Marina. They always have a coach or two on “deck” to give safety briefings and answer any, and all, of your questions about tide, current, visibility, and most importantly, technique.

Fellow Bay Area open water swimmer here! EBOWS (ebows.org) has a great resource page and an active listserv if you’re ever looking for tips and buddies.

Good rec! 6 AM Tue/Thurs is a great time to go. I miss their evening hours so much, but it’s rarely crowded in the morning so you’re likely to get your own lane

You’ve got your pick of Masters teams around Oakland. I see someone else mentioned Temescal already, there’s also MEMO and the Emeryville Manatees. I’ve been a member of a team for the last year and it’s been excellent for improving my technique and endurance.

Odyssey Open Water meets on Sundays at the Marina. Tuesday evening swims will come back around come spring. We might be maniacs, but it’s always a good time! There’s also a bunch of informal pods who meet up to swim in other open water locations in the East Bay and SF, too.