Review of Aquagear's Soft Pull Buoy

Several weeks ago Aquagear sent me a piece of equipment that I have delayed writing a review for.  I was sent a soft pull buoy.  At that point I was swimming exclusively open water and occasionally a non-equipment pool swim.  At that time I was also envisioning my feeding system for the English Channel.

I've seen feeding pole systems and rope systems.  I prefer the rope system, because when the feeding is administered the boat slows down.  However it is still moving.  With the pole system the swimmer has to expend energy to get to the end of the pole to grab the food/drink.  With the rope system he just has to be behind it, and can either swim up to it, or let it float to him.  I preferred the greater flexibility that the rope system offered.

Pull buoy as extra buoyancy and visibility for feeds.

So I took the pull buoy and respectfully dismantled it to enhance my rope based feeding system with greater visibility and buoyancy to keep the food and drink right on the surface.  Here is a picture of it on dry land.

This system worked out great!  It kept the feeds right on the surface so it was easy to see.

Here is some video that includes a couple of feeds in action.  Notice the system lends itself to quickness rather than swimming up to the end of a pole.



If you need a pull buoy, of course the buoy is great for that as well.  Don't let the low price mislead you into thinking that it's an inferior product.  It is really is soft to the touch and of course would serve it's purpose quite well as a pull buoy as it was designed.  My use of it however will continue for many years as my feeding system's buoyancy.

Thank you Aquagear!