SD Tools for Swimming

[seeker_two]

When swimming in pools or lakes, I often carry a Spiderco Delica in case of getting entangled in something more than as a SD tool. A folding knife is also easier to conceal in nonpermissive environments. I've recently gotten a new pair of swim trunks that would allow me to carry my OC gel securely while swimming.

1. What do y'all carry when swimming?

2. Does anyone here have experience carrying OC underwater? Will it damage the canister? Will it still work if I need to use it on shore?

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[Art Eatman]

The canister is sealed, right? I don't see how water on the outside could clog the valve. Maybe the first 0.1 second of squirt might be part water, but that seems like a "So what?" sort of thing.

[FireForged]

knives and OC for swimming? Are you serious?

[mete]

HK makes very fine handguns including one that could be fired underwater !
Problem was that it could only be reloaded by HK !

[Eazyeach]

Relax. Jump in the pool, splash the kids, and have some fun. You don’t need a M4 and full tactical load out to take a swim. If I couldn’t enjoy a summer swim without worrying about SD I’d seek professional help. Be prepared and all that but just rely on situational awareness. You’re more likely to drown than be attacked.

[Eazyeach]

What is OC btw?

[Art Eatman]

In my very-rural area, a local middle-of-nowhere favorite swimming hole was on a dope-smugglers' trail. Thinking of a possible need for some sort of self-defense is not unwise.

[DaleA]

What is OC btw?

My Google-Fu is strong tonight. OC is pepper spray---oleoresin capsicum.

If you want to read a lot about pepper spray there's an article here:
https://thefiringline.com/forums/new...te=1&p=6623384

[Sharkbite]

I carry a folding knife in my swim trunks. Fishing line entangled in 12 feet of water does not sound enjoyable.

SD is secondary to having a useful tool.

[FireForged]

Sorry guys, I draw the line with carrying weapons into the water, hot tubs, showers or other similar venues and of course ( rollercoasters). You guys can wring your hands over your personal protective capabilities in such places but I will not. There is a point where self defense endeavors can become outlandish and unrealistic. I think that this thread crosses into that territory. I bid you all good day, good luck and safe travels. im out

[stephen426]

Why not just strap on a dive knife and carry a Glock that has been modified to shoot underwater? LOL You mention worries about entanglement and pools in the same sentence. Then you go you carrying OC in your swim trunks. Sorry if people aren’t going to take you seriously.

If you are really concerned about entanglement in a lake, Spyderco has some knives made of highly corrosion resistant steels including H1 and LC200N. My brother in law builds docks in salt water and he uses his all the time. Not a spot of rust on it.

As for self defense at the beach, lake, or pool, you could always go with a designated carry person just like a designated driver. I understand that stuff can happen anywhere and anytime. If you want to switch off, the best way to carry would be in some kind of discreet pouch so you don’t freak out the sheeple.

[Sharkbite]

You mention worries about entanglement and pools in the same sentence.

What the OP wrote was; pools and LAKES. Ive run into fishing line while SCUBA diving a few times. Most time you can simply undo the tangle with bare hands, but i had an air supply. If you got tangled while swiming a knife would speed up the process immensely.

If possible, why not carry a self defence tool while at the beach? We dont have a Crystal ball to determine when we will have to defend ourselves. If you are out in public, you are at risk from some dirtbag

[T. O'Heir]

"...What is OC..." Officer Commanding. snicker. Also short for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder caused by acute paranoia.
SCUBA diving isn't the same as swimming in a pool or a lake.

[seeker_two]

Originally Posted by Sharkbite

I carry a folding knife in my swim trunks. Fishing line entangled in 12 feet of water does not sound enjoyable.

SD is secondary to having a useful tool.

^^^This. The knife is a tool for problems like this. The OC is for any SD situation that occurs outside the water.....stray dogs, wild animals, feral humans. And you can find plenty of instances where criminal attacks happen in swimming areas.....

[FrankenMauser]

In my very-rural area, a local middle-of-nowhere favorite swimming hole was on a dope-smugglers' trail. Thinking of a possible need for some sort of self-defense is not unwise.

As much as I'd like to be on the side of, "Dude... just chill. You don't need to carry while swimming, showering, or having marital relations" ... I do have to agree.

You never know when you're going to need it. That's the point of carrying [be it a firearm, knife, OC, stick, or Kleenex].

I was once threatened with my life for parking in my own driveway. It turned out to be a schizophrenic that was off his meds and thought I had planted alien mind readers in his backyard after parking on his roof. But, hey, you never know what or when it will be...

And, as much as I'd like to make levity of the schizo situation and make fun of some of his threats, I can't.
He did become a bigger problem for my wife and I (even being a minor contributor to us selling that house and moving). He did have to be forcibly sedated at least three times in the months between threatening me, and our house being sold. And, very near the sale of our house, he did end up being institutionalized after stabbing one of his neighbors, at their own party, for "tampering with his cameras". (He had foil and toilet paper rolls taped to the roof....)

Bottom line: Even while on the toilet, I had to have something within reach, in case the schizo decided that he was going to try to break in [again], because I was planting alien colonic exploration androids in his tomatoes ... again.

[fastbolt]

Well, without getting mired down in some of the typical inanities of how some people won't ever go ANYWHERE, or do ANYTHING without having a gun within reach ...

I have given some thought to having the ability to address problems arising from something having to be cut while being in the surf.

This is especially important to me when taking one of my granddaughters to the beach for some fun frolicking in the surf line, wandering among the tide pools, clambering over the mild rock formations, etc. Simply put, I've always felt that being able to have a sharp blade at hand was a practical benefit. Handy tool, at times. (Being an enthusiast when it comes to collecting knives helps, too.)

My choice was to order one of the Spyderco Salt series. I chose a 3" regular edged Salt I. It can clip to one of the pockets of my beach trunks and I don't have to worry about the corrosive effects of salt water. In retrospect, I wish I'd ordered the fully serrated version, for the more aggressive cutting ability of a serrated edge, but I can correct that sometime by adding one of those.

Now, a couple other thoughts ...

Because of my pursuit of various martial arts over the years, various objects and tools can always be employed in a defense manner.

Now that I'm no longer required to go to places where known or suspected dangerous conditions might exist, I can use my own judgment to decide where I go to engage in my retirement activities. That includes where I take a granddaughter. The beaches where I take her for her sand and surf fun have been carefully considered, and my long instilled professional radar for troublesome people and dangerous conditions hasn't exactly rusted away, yet.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

When I lived in Oregon and did white water rafting, I carried a Gerber rafting knife accessible on my life jacket. Getting tangled was real risk. Not to the neighborhood pool though.

Too old for that stuff now!

[FrankenMauser]

Let us know how you like it.

[Nathan]

My intent was to stay dry, but canoeing, my Shield and I went for a swim....just cleaned it up after with WD40, then normal gun cleaning after.

[2ndsojourn]

When swimming in my pool I keep a Super Soaker within quick reach.

[gwpercle]

I'm just not paranoid enough to carry in the shower or in the pool.
I'll try to do better.
Gary

[Sharkbite]

I'm just not paranoid enough to carry in the shower or in the pool.
I'll try to do better.
Gary

The OP asked about LAKES and public places. Not the pool in your backyard

[jmr40]

These are designed just for this purpose.

https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/det...rco-Ark-H1/921


Read the description about why it was designed.

Street price is reasonable.

https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Pers...70_&dpSrc=srch

If on a really tight budget this isn't a bad option either.

https://www.amazon.com/CRKT-Minimali...70_&dpSrc=srch

Of course if there is any way to have a gun it would be preferred.

[FrankenMauser]

When swimming in my pool I keep a Super Soaker within quick reach.

Good for you.
I think the OP is a better judge of when and where he needs to carry a weapon in public, than we may be -- especially when considering your private pool.

[seeker_two]

Originally Posted by 2ndsojourn

When swimming in my pool I keep a Super Soaker within quick reach.

Originally Posted by FrankenMauser

Good for you.
I think the OP is a better judge of when and where he needs to carry a weapon in public, than we may be -- especially when considering your private pool.

Yeah.....and I'd probably OC at 2ndsojurn's pool, too. Do they still make water bazookas?.....

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