Rowing on saltwater is bouncy! In high school we used to go to a regatta up in British Columbia that was held on a bay. The water in the afternoons would inevitably get rough with wind, but on the other hand, we would sometimes have seals that would pop up around the boats at the finish line.

Oh - and the biggest west coast regatta, the San Diego Crew Classic, is also on saltwater, come to think of it.

I seem to do okay with treading water. And also - the worst water depth, ever, is where you can't touch the bottom, but your feet brush against plant matter. I highly prefer water that's either shallower or deeper. I'm not a particularly strong swimmer, but I know what I need to do to stay afloat.

And, open ocean swimming scares me. I'm okay if I'm in a bay, but I almost got pulled out by a riptide once and that induced a strong sense of horror.