I saw frost on the roof the other morning so that must mean it’s “California Winter” and Christmas is shortly upon us. With that here’s my annual swimmer xmas list for those of you at a loss for what to buy your swimmer. Some of the list consists of things I already have, and some I just want to have. Feel free to buy me anything on the list in appreciation of a blog well blogged this year… I wear a 36 if anyone is asking, haha :)

Also… while you’re out shopping if you happen to use SwimOutlet do me a favor and visit them through swimoutlet.com/robaquatics, I get a little commission when you do and it helps keep the lights on and whatnot :)

Swim Suits!

New suits are always a winner. They wear out, they get boring, and it’s nice to add a few new ones to the rotation. Personally I enjoy obnoxious drag suits, but a jammer or banana hammock would be just as well for your swimmer… on the ladies side I have no idea what the suit differences are, you’ll have to do your own preference investigating there, but I do know what I like aesthetically so here’s some new favorites.

GoPro HD Hero2 Camera

The new version of the GoPro Hero came out just recently and I’ve been lusting after it pretty hard. I’m hoping this will be the waterproof camera I can’t break! Since it’s a sport orientated device there’s all sorts of mounts and straps and accessories available for different purposes. I want the surf pack so I can attach it to my boogie board and film my wipeouts down gnarly wintertime wave faces! You can pick up an HD Hero2 direct from GoPro here.

Waterproof GPS

If you saw my posts during “review week” not to long ago you know that I’m enamored with GPS devices and for right now the Garmin 310xt is my weapon of choice. Garmin has a new version out that sounds like a combination of a Swimsense and a GPS unit but I’m yet to see one in the wild and have no idea if it’s worth the $400+ or not. You can pick up a 310xt from SwimOutlet here and see my review here.

Blurb Custom Books

I made one of these a few months back and absolutely love it. I got to make a glossy paperback picture book made of my own photos, super rad and not really all that expensive. I think I paid $30ish delivered. You can check out the book I made and even buy it if you want to here, but I would strongly suggest making your own by going here. The process is fairly simple, you download Blurb’s software. Drag and drop and upload pictures, fill in some blanks and voila… book! I spent a couple hours one night putting mine together, picking the pictures was tougher for me than formatting the book.

Swim Spray

Hate the smell of chlorine? I do. Although some swimmers enjoy that Eau de Chlorine aroma, I prefer to smell like salt and sunshine… not pool chemicals. The idea behind Swim Spray is to neutralize the chlorine smell and let you smell like a regular person again. Swim Spray sent me a bottle a while back and I undertook some extensive scientific testing that consisted of making my girlfriend smell me pre and post shower to determine how much it cut the pool smell. Her verdict, it works. If you only use the spray it leaves a light scent of its own, but once you soap up over the top of it it’s totally gone. You can get your hands on Swim Spray directly here

Fins

Everybody likes fins right? I mean I do… I only have like 13-14 pairs floating around the house right now :) A while back FINIS sent me some of their newest fins, the Positive Drive Fin (PDF) and the Zoomer Fit Fins. I’ve become very attached to my PDF Fins and have switched over to using them almost exclusively in the pool. They have a stiff, short round blade that allows for you to kick in all directions which means you can breaststroke in them even! The heel is open with the fin being held on with a strap. I find them pretty comfortable but if I wear them too long they can get a little uncomfortable on the back of my foot. You can get PDF Fins direct from FINIS here (use the code ROBAQUATICS09 at checkout to save 20%!).

The Zoomers Fit Fins are not for me, but they’re not meant to be. They’re aimed more at the fitness crowd not the competitive swimmer crowd. If you have a friend into mellow lap swimming or someone just starting to swim these would be a great fin for them. Soft, comfortable with a good amount of propulsion. You can get Zoomers Fit direct from FINIS here (use the code ROBAQUATICS09 at checkout to save 20%!).

Custom Swim Bags

My friends over at Splish, my favorite place for creative and custom suits, have also started to print up mesh swim bags. They have a small collection of bags they’ve designed but they also allow for custom prints. They sent me a super rad Rob Aquatics bag in November and I totally dig it. It looks great and it’s a good size for all my fins, goggles, bottles, etc for when I swim at the pool. The Rob Aquatics bag isn’t listed for sale on their site but I’m sure you could request one if you really need one :) Splish bags are available here.

Intelliskin Shirts

Intelliskin sent me one of their compression shirts a couple months back and I’ve been using it a fair amount and really like it. I’d never previously been into the whole compression thing but some of my triathlete friends are all about it so I figured I’d give it a shot. The shirt they sent me is very nicely constructed and tight as hell! I have a hard time getting it on, but once it’s where it needs to be it pulls me into a better posture and takes some pressure off my chronically displeased lower back. I wear it most frequently to work just under my regular clothes. The shirt forces me to sit upright and not succumb to office chair slumpyness. The stuff from Intelliskin isn’t cheap, but I’m impressed with what I’ve seen from them so far. You can buy shirts/shorts/sports bras from Intelliskin here

Beard Hats

Want an adventure beard of your own but can grow your own luscious face carpet? Some enterprising knitters have found a solution… knitted hats with beards attached… genius! Although a knit beard probably isn’t FINA or Channel Rules legal, it’s probably still good for keeping your face warm in terrestrial environments. You can get yourself a fake beard over at Beardhead.com.

swim vacation

I’m still waiting for someone to buy me one of these along with the airfare to the BVI… please? somebody? :) This would probably be the greatest swimmer gift of all time so if you’ve got the money to burn I recommend you book two spots and go play with my buddy Hopper in the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean. You can get more info on SwimVacation here

Swim Parachute

I already have one of these so I don’t need one, but I’d like to be able to give them to my friends that are way too fast for me! I’m thinking if I could strap one of these on Evan we might finally be able to have a similarly paced ocean swim together :) The swim parachute really tugs at you, I was surprised at just how much drag it created the first time I used it. You can get Swim Parachutes direct from FINIS here (use the code ROBAQUATICS09 at checkout to save 20%!).

Swim Related Books

I like to read when I can, and I always dig reading good swimming related books when I can find them. A few of these I’ve read and really enjoyed like Jeff Comming’s Odd Man Out and Lynne Cox’s Swimming to Antarctica. Beth Barnes new book Escort and Lynne’s Latest South with the Sun are either on my list or in progress. I also tossed in the Island of the Blue Dolphins because it’s been a source of conversation amongst some of my open water friends. We all read it and loved it as kids, but now that we’re older and ocean swim focused realized it takes place in the Channel Islands off of Santa Barbara! I reread it just recently and it’s still an awesome book, a perennial favorite.

Now that it’s Christmas gift buying go time I figured I should put together some swimmer shopping assistance for those of you in need of some ideas! If you see anything you like below click on it to find out more and where to buy it!

***As an added bonus I have a few discount codes specially for my readers!***

Splish has set me up with a 15% off discount code: ROBAQUATICS but it’s only good until December 6th so if you want anything from Splish hurry up and get a deal while you can!!!

Finis also gives Rob Aquatics readers 20% off their orders with the code: ROBAQUATICS09

Rob Aquatics Swimsuits!!!

don't worry ladies, we've got women's suits too!

So what I’ve been hearing is that the must have swimmer gift this year is a Rob Aquatics swimsuit… it’s pretty much the Tickle Me Elmo of banana hammocks so it’s entirely possible people will be lined up around the block to try and get their hands on one of these in time for the holiday so it’s best you buy yours online now!

well that's one way to wear it :)

*some of the facts above may be slightly incorrect but it doesn’t mean I don’t WANT them to be true :)

Custom Suits

Splish Custom Suit Builder

With the demise of the tech suit I think the coming year is going to see the upsurgence of the custom suit. I predict custom suits will be all the rage. I’m obviously a huge fan… why pay $200 for a jammer when you can spend well under $100 and put your name on your ass? Am I the only one that sees this? I’ve been slowly converting my friends to the idea. Just wait, by summer all the cool kids will have custom gear. I get all my stuff made by Splish, as far as I’m concerned they’re officially the coolest suit company in the world. The suits are well made and the pricing is pretty good for custom printed attire.

Obnoxious Swimsuits

If you’re not going to go custom you might as well go obnoxious. Dolfin and Splish in particular make a lot of colorful and exciting things, even TYR has a few fun suits out there. If you ever want to butter me up an exciting swimsuit is a good way to start… I’m a 36 btw :)

Waterproof Cameras

I’ve been a little star crossed in the waterproof camera department lately, yet I still love them. I’ve killed a Pentax Optio W80 and W90 and an Olympus Stylus Tough. My Panasonic Lumix just showed up on Friday. Of them I like the Pentax cameras and so far I like the Lumix but it’s longevity is yet to be seen.

Mesh Swim Bags

Everybody needs a new one of these… if you don’t think you do go grab yours and smell it, it’s probably awful.

Shark Shield

I’m yet to see one of these in person and I don’t know if they actually work, but being a regular swimmer in a sharky part of the Pacific I kinda want one!

Swim Vacation

Of the ones I’ve tried I like the Finis SwiMP3 best. I have a hard time keeping ear buds in my ears which makes traditional in ear players less than ideal for me. The SwiMP3 rests on your temples and projects the sound into your noggin via bone conduction. It sounds like it would be weird, but it works very well.

Gu Stuff for Longer Swims

I’ve tried a few different brands of energy gels and my favorite has turned out to be Gu. I like the strawberry Gu, pineapple Roctane, strawberry and watermelon Chomps, and the Gu Brew. On my 12.6 mile swim I alternated between Chomps and Gu packets for my nutrition and it worked out pretty good for me.

Nice Water Bottles

All my water bottles have come free in goody bags at races, but most of them kind of suck because, well they were free. I learned about Polar Bottles via my friend Karen Rogers and bought one a couple weeks ago, so far I dig it and might need to go purchase it some new friends. They’re a little different because they’re insulated and keep your stuff colder longer than a regular plain bottle.

Go Swim DVDs

You can never go wrong with stuff from Go Swim. They consistently turn out really good DVDs for those of you looking to improve your swimming technique. You can review the whole lineup here. I highly recommend the Freestyle with Fran Crippen DVD, lots to learn there.

An Offer to Crew, Kayak, or Support a Future Swim in Some Way

If you’re broke this one will be a winner, trust me :) If you’re friends with an open water swimmer there’s a good chance they’ll really really really need your help to pull off a swim sometime in the future. Cut them off at the pass and offer up your services early. Whether it’s kayaking on training swims or mixing bottles on the boat while they’re grinding out a channel crossing it will be hugely appreciated. Although most marathon and ultramarathon swims are solo events they’re really team efforts. Make an IOU coupon for future open water support services, it might not cost anything but it’s a highly valuable gift any swimmer would appreciate!