A New Way To Swim In The Shade

By Timothy Kelly


Summertime, and the waterfront beckons. People love the combination of hot sunshine and cool water. However, summer sun can be hot, hot, hot. Not only is it sometimes too hot for comfort, it can also damage unprotected skin. If you could swim in the shade, it would be a good idea.

There's a new way to accomplish this. Instead of staying inside during the middle of the day, sitting under an umbrella on the shore, or seeking shelter in a pavilion or under an awning, you can get a floating canopy to take right into the water with you. Whether you're in your own pool or out on a peaceful lake, you can have shade no matter how high or hot the sun is.

With a canopy that can either float on the water or extend out over it from the land, you get a large shadow exactly where you want it. This novel new luxury looks like a regular canopy that is mounted on inflated rings. A patented locking device on each leg secures it to the ring, so the whole unit can be moved as one piece whenever you want.

We know now that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight is unhealthy. When the sun is high in the sky, ultraviolet rays can cause a painful sunburn. These rays can damage your skin, causing premature aging and wrinkling and maybe skin cancer. Water reflects the sun, which means it's even easier to get too much exposure when you're afloat.

Photo galleries online show relaxed people floating on rafts in crystal pools, with a broad canopy casting its shade exactly where they need it. They show fishermen sitting at ease on the back of their boats, comfortable in the shade as they angle for the big ones. Imagine having one on the beach of a quiet bay, so the kids can build sand castles and wade without risking painful and dangerous sunburns.

Grandpa can fish off his boat without wearing a hat and without getting sunstroke. The canopy can be set on the rear deck of the boat and extend out far enough into the water to create a pool of shade, cutting the glare without blocking the cooling breezes.

If you have a pool in your backyard, you don't want trees too close. They provide shade, but they also drop leaves and other debris in the water, junk that you have to skim off and vacuum out. Trees can also keep the sun from warming the pool water at the beginning of the season. A canopy, however, shades only the area you're in; the rest of the water will be soaking up all that solar heat. You also can do without sunscreen; experts say that sunscreen may not protect the deeper layers of your skin, anyway.

Awnings, umbrellas, and porches can go only so far. A portable, floating canopy means that your days at the beach, pool, lake, or quiet bay can be spent mostly outside. After all, your time in the sun is limited, especially if you try to cram it all into one vacation or if you live up north where summers are short. Check out the photos and information posted online and see what a great idea this innovation is.




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