Originally Posted by
coasting
how dirty does the swimming stage get? is it as rough as water polo with people being grabbed from underneath, pinching and punching etc.
Wetsuits are better - harder to get a good hold on someone when they are slippery. Most of the chaos is unintentional, although I once had someone grab my shoulder, push me down & swim over top of me. That was interesting.
The more confident the swimmer, the less likely you are to be grabbed etc. Everyone just wants to get moving at their pace, so it's usually calm by 200-300m into the race. Turning around the buoys is a whole 'nother thing....