Local races. Beach swims. Solo swims. Relay events. Marathon swims. Charity swims. Circumnavigations. Pro invitational races. Staged swims. Eco-swims. FINA World Cup circuit. FINA Grand Prix circuit. Olympic 10K. In lakes, rivers, oceans, bays, dams, channels and around/between islands…for everyone from newcomers to pros.
As part of the ongoing collection of open water swimming tattoos from swimmers around the world, Canadian Rob Kent sent in his Manhattan Island Marathon Swim tattoo.
“The guy who had done my other three tattoos couldn’t do this one because he said it was too detailed or it would have to be huge.”
“So I found this guy from Thailand who does it with a needle on a bamboo stick. He was just as quick as the machine and it didn’t hurt as much and heals much quicker too. I could even go swimming the next day.”
Copyright © 2010 by Steven Munatones
Local races. Beach swims. Solo swims. Relay events. Marathon swims. Charity swims. Circumnavigations. Pro invitational races. Staged swims. Eco-swims. FINA World Cup circuit. FINA Grand Prix circuit. Olympic 10K. In lakes, rivers, oceans, bays, dams, channels and around/between islands…for everyone from newcomers to pros.
Watch an NBA game and it is rare to find a player without tattoos. But most open water swimmers leave their skin unadorned with the exception of sunscreen, Vaseline and lanolin.
However, there are swimmers with a number of ocean-specific tattoos.
If you have an open water swimming tattoo, please send us a photo to add to this gallery of open water art.
Brazilian open water swimmer Glauco Rangel has a large swordfish and Chad Ho celebrates his Olympic 10K participation.
Jeri Sisco of Washington has a colorful sea turtle tattoo on her ankle tattoo as a memorial of sorts for her husband.
Bruckner Chase (left) has a colorful jellyfish and whale tails on his torso while Sebastian Fischer (right) said, “I have a mermaid tattood on my left arm. I have always loved swimming and being in the water.
And I have also always loved women, so I decided to combine those two things for a tattoo on my arm.”
World 5K and 10K champion and Swimming World Magazine’s Open Water Swimmer of the Year Thomas Lurz explains his tattoo, “I have the date from my father’s birthday on my left arm. I got it after his death. The tattoo [on the other arm] we did 12 years ago on our swim team for the German team championships and it means ‘Together we can do it’ or ‘We are strong together’. For example, my brother has the same tattoo on the same place because he also was on the team at this time as a swimmer. Now he is my coach, so it still fits good together. We were a good young team then.”
Some Manhattan Island Marathon Swim tattoos from its previous participants, Rob Kent and Mauro Giaconia of Italy.
Upper photo of tattoo from the Outside Magazine.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven Munatones