Tow Floats: Tips and Advice
Designed to make you visible in the water so your beach spotter can see you and so can other water users.
You must remain vigilant to other water users even if wearing a tow float, as although they may see you they still might not be able to avoid you. And although a tow float can provide swimmers with confidence to explore further from the shore it is not a floatation device and should not be used as one.
Here are our top tips for sea swimmers.
The tow float bags are really useful for storing valuables you don’t want to leave on the beach like keys and phone
Although the tow float bags are waterproof you may fail to seal the roll top sufficiently, they can breakdown and leak over time or you may have the odd faulty float. So always put your keys and phone in an additional waterproof bag - like a sandwich bag or a dog poo bag.
To close it - once you’ve put everything you need in it - squeeze all of the air out of it and roll the top over 3 times before inflating.
If it has 2 inflatable chambers you can adjust the buoyancy of the float so it stays on one side if you are hoping to use a tracking app on your phone while swimming. It also is less likely to be blown around by the wind if it’s not inflated fully.
You can attach a whistle to the outside of your tow float to use in case of emergency to attract attention.
When it’s windy your tow float bag can get in the way if a gust catches it. Weigh it down by putting a bottle of water inside. It’s always good to have water with you when you swim anyway as you really dehydrate. No water bottle - put some pebbles in it! (But you should always have a hydration drink with you on long swims!)
Another trick for when it’s windy is to put the tow line between your legs when you swim so the float is closer to your back and not blown around so much. Not as uncomfortable as it sounds.
If you struggle with walking to the shoreline you can wear flip flops or crocs which you can then attach to your float with a clip when you swim. Ready to put on your feet once you exit the water. This way they won’t get washed away with the incoming tide and you don’t have to get out where you got in!
If you want to do a point to point(one way) swim you can put a lightweight hammam towel, flip flops and a T-shirt dress or shorts and tee to walk back to your start point.
If you swim at dawn or dusk you can put bike, adventure or fairy lights in your tow-float bag to make you more visible or just add to the magic of sea swimming.
Don’t use one in shallow water with spilling/breaking waves. You are likely to loose it or end up with it wrapped/tangled around you. Hopefully in these conditions you are staying in the shallows close to shore and just jumping for joy rather than swimming.
Write your name and ICE information in permanent marker on the tow float.
It is not a lifesaving device but it can be useful to lean on when you want to catch your breath or just admire the vista.
My favourite tow float tip - I have attached mine with my packed lunch in it to my SUP and towed it in the water to stop my food from becoming sweaty and over heating when I go out on the water for the day.
There are lots to choose from and come in many different sizes depended on what you want to store in them and what kind of swim you are doing.
Seabirds stock the Puffin brand (because it is a seabird) and because the 15litre and 25 litre are biodegradable and the 20litre and 28 litre are made with recycled materials. And the 35 litre is a rucksack. As well as looking after ourselves in the water we like to look after the marine life too!
