Advice for someone interested in starting to deep water solo

Hello, I'm a boulderer through and through... there's something about the purity of climbing that just thrills me.

So, after years of climbing boulders, I want to advance to deep water soloing. However, I don't personally know any climbers who do it, so I'm turning to you for help!

For the deep water solo climbers on this forum, what is your advice to someone just starting out?

Who should I talk to? (Big bonus if they climb at Brooklyn Boulders)
What do I need to watch out for?
Are there any particularly good resources?
Which climbs can I start with? (I live in New York City)
Also, where do I meet other deep water solo climbers?

Thank you!

Having done some of it myself back in Texas, I'll point out a few things that are important. For one, it's best to climb above water that is not too cold. Here in Colorado for instance, some of the mountain lakes are so cold that they can inhibit your ability to swim and cause you to drown if you don't get out of the water quick enough. Second, it's very important to swim with a mask in the areas under the cliff where you intend to fall/jump off into. This will allow you to see any hidden rocks or a shallow bottom. You wouldn't want to end up paralyzed from breaking your back.

That said, we would have rafts or even kayaks at the ready for people to grab a rest on and to watch others solo. Plus, this gives you some safety swimmers to rescue you if you don't resurface quickly. We also climbed barefoot, as the shoes got wet anyway and not having them on makes swimming much easier.

Take a holiday in the UK

Seriously.

Do it.

I do a lot of DWS in the summer on lakes and rivers in South Carolina...here's the basics for me.

1) Make sure landings are safe first and foremost. Swimming in the area beforehand and diving down to check depth and obstacles is always first duty. Unless you're climbing on water that keeps the exact same level 24/7, I suggest doing this every single time, just in case something changed due to a storm or something. Make sure you have plenty of depth especially on taller climbs.

2) Use your oldest stankiest climbing shoes that aren't completely blown out. They will wash up in the process and you'll get more life out of that dead pair. My current pair I wore for 6-8 months and they were about to wear through, started using them for deep water and I've gotten 3 more years of use out of them.

3) Chalk is unnecessary...it actual just complicates things.

4) I generally don't climb higher than 40 feet because a jump, much less a fall, starts to become a little painful and could twist an ankle or worse.

5) Make sure the rock is either vertical or overhanging so the falls are straight drops. Slight slab can work if you can guarantee that you can get a little push off of the rock at the beginning of the fall. Never climb over a ledge or submerged ledge.

6) Watch for snakes and other critters on the first ascent of the day...its almost the "leader's" job to check for loose blocks and possible dangers so everyone after them can enjoy the rocks without worry.

7) HAVE FUN! DWS has always been about fun for me and not trying to push my limits...its really kind of hard to push things om wet rock without chalk anyway.

Here are a couple of the more popular spots in the southeast...

mountainproject.com/v/summe…

mountainproject.com/v/lake-…

My advice is to find some rocks on the side of a lake near your location and go from there. Many times the rocks are only 10 or 15 feet tall, but if it offers fun climbing with good landings, I say its worth climbing once:)

These are fantastic replies, so far, thank you! I especially appreciate learning the details of how you DWS. Currently looking into best places to climb near NYC.

I'm definately down to check out Jocassee. I would like to know a good place to rent a canoe and also which part of the lake it's on. Anyone got the beta?

Main tip is to use synthetic shoes and secondly make a small chalk bag made of duct tape! The only time I've gone DWS is in Bermuda while on a cruise.
As for locations up here around Nys or anything I haven't heard much. I remember reading a long time ago that it was illegal in NYS so good luck with that. Not sure about any areas out deep or anything. That would require a bit of an adventure to scope things out.

Le Bob wrote:I'm definately down to check out Jocassee. I would like to know a good place to rent a canoe and also which part of the lake it's on. Anyone got the beta?

Check out One With The Ride at onewiththeride.com for a great local shop with great prices on rentals. If you want the general beta for DWS on Lake Jocassee, then pick up Southern Appalachian Bouldering at tinyurl.com/UpstateBouldering to order a copy. It includes general beta on Lake Jocassee and parts of Lake Keowee, as well as specific beta on routes at a couple of spots. It also includes tons of other great beta for other nearby bouldering areas as well!

Deborah Chang wrote: (Big bonus if they climb at Brooklyn Boulders)

There is actually one place in New York:

https://www.adirondacksusa.com/story/2017/deep-water-soloing

https://www.theoutbound.com/new-york/rock-climbing/deep-water-solo-at-the-palisades-on-lake-champlain