When swimming at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront in the summer, you may notice a whole gaggle of freestyle swimming racers. These swimmers usually wear brightly colored caps, so it’s hard to miss them! They swim three races throughout the summer at the VB Oceanfront. This swim series is put on by the Virginia Beach Lifeguard Association, and the series is called the VBLA Ocean Swim Series.
The VBLA Ocean Swim Series collects over 50 swimmers for a one-mile swim at the Oceanfront. Some of the more experienced swimmers swim a 3K and even a 5K. That’s a lot of swimming! The swims take place once a month during the summer; June, July, and August each year.
Before the swims begin, there will be a meeting for the swimmers to let them know when they will be starting, where the buoys will be located that mark the mile distance, and what to do if they can not continue the swim. The swimmers usually start in the water and begin the race when there is a loud whistle. After about 20-30 minutes, swimmers are usually done and they will end the race by running to shore and crossing the finish line. Then, it’s time to dig into some oranges, bananas, bagels, Powerade, and water! The race ends with awards.
As a swimmer of the VBLA Ocean Swim Series, it is a fun experience to swim in this series because I get to enjoy the beautiful beach while having an amazing workout. Swimming this series is also fun to have people cheering you on as you are swimming. When passing people who are playing around in the waves, they say “good job, keep going!” There are some curious people too, asking what I am doing and why. For the last swim I participated in for the July 2016 swim, there were even more things cheering on the swimmers. Dolphins were swimming alongside the racers almost the entirety of the mile.
Next time you see a bunch of swimmers at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, you will know what in the world they are doing. The things to do in Virginia Beach really are endless, and there is fun for EVERYONE!
