For people who love to swim, the allure of water can be
overwhelming. Most people enjoy a sandy beach where waves lap
gently on the shore. A few demand the thrill of a 50-foot breaker
as they ride their surf board on the edge of tragedy.
For swimming, there is a place in Hawaii that has become known
for both extremes, depending on weather and sea conditions. It’s
called Queen’s Bath, and it is on the northern edge of Kaua˙i. The
first video begins with the pleasant waters of this tide pool, once
reserved for royalty.
At 1:49 in the video, we begin to see the dangerous side that
occurs when big waves crash over the entire area. As the music on
the video turns sinister, notice that people are no longer in the
picture. The video was produced by HawaiiGaga.Com, which specializes
in Hawaiian vacation rentals and provides useful information for
visitors.
If deep snow has fallen around your house, you might as well
throw caution to the wind and go swimming. Put on your swimming
suit, dive into a snow drift and swim hard — freestyle, backstroke
or even butterfly. More than a few crazy people have done it.
With all the fresh snow we’ve had the past few days in the Puget
Sound region, I thought I could find some fresh videos of the
so-called snow swimming challenge. My search came up empty, but if
anyone knows of any new videos — or if you make a new one yourself
— feel free to share the link.
Purina has posted videos of the Surf Dog competition for both
large and small dogs. Check the bottom of this page to watch.
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In promotional materials, Purina calls these dogs “canine
athletes” for their ability to perform and compete before crowds of
observers.
This is the 20th year that Purina Pro Plan has sponsored the
Incredible
Dog Challenge, which features dog surfing, diving and agility
contests, along with the freestyle flying disc competition, which
comes about as close to dancing as a dog can get.
I’ve posted videos of the winners of the Diving Dog and Fetch
It! finals on this page, including both the Western Regional and
Eastern Regional competitions. If you enjoy these videos, you may
wish to take time to watch the full competitions:
Both the Diving Dog and Fetch It! contests challenge the leaping
ability of water-loving dogs. In Diving Dog, the canines leap off a
40-foot carpeted runway and try to go as far out as they can. The
winner is the dog whose nose is the farthest when its chest hits
the water.
Fetch It! uses the same runway but adds the physical challenge
of touching an object at the end. The winner is the dog who is able
to knock the object, called a bumper, the farthest out into the
water.
While athletic ability is important, trainer Brianna Minshew of
Rome, Ga., says the most important thing for a beginning dog is
good obedience.
“My advice for those wanting to get into the sport of dock
diving is to start off with a basic obedience class so the dog can
learn to sit and/or down stay on the dock,” Brianna said on the
Pro
Plan’s website. “They also need to learn to track and retrieve
a toy. What I believe is the most important is to find a local
facility that has a pool and get proper instruction and safety tips
for the dock and also to have fun with your dog.”
Brianna is staff supervisor at the Georgia Dog Gym. Her 4-year-old
border collie, named Knox, took first place in the Diving Dog
competition during the 2014 Eastern Regionals.
The Incredible Dog Challenge Eastern Regional Championship was
held April 7 and 8 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Western Regional
Championship was held June 9-10 in Huntington Beach, Calif. The
national finals are scheduled Sept. 29-30 in St. Louis, Mo.
The Western Regional Championships are scheduled to be
rebroadcast on Aug. 3 at 9 p.m. on KING-TV, Channel 5, according to
Carson International Events.
I anticipate that the finals will be broadcast as well.
Note: The Surf Dog competition, also sponsored by Purina Pro
Plan, is normally considered part of the Incredible Dog Challenge.
It is my favorite event. So far, I have been unable to locate video
of this year’s surfing competition, but I have asked the Purina
folks if they have such video and can make it available. If
something comes through, I will post an update.
(You can now compare and contrast some amazing dog stroller and
look at their various pros and cons on the website of i Pet
Companion)
As the temperatures soared over the weekend, I kept thinking
about people who went swimming to cool off. I found some signs that
lend a little humor to the locations where swimming is
discouraged.
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And if you go swimming in a pool, here are a few words from the
management:
