At TANDM Surf, we’re always trying to come up with ways to make water sports accessible to more people. While some people are all about riding waves, others prefer low-impact workouts or a comfortable way to simply hang out in the water. For the latter group, we’ve developed the Water Saddle.
Launching in the spring of 2023, the TANDM Surf Water Saddle is a simple flotation device that you can sit on while in a body of water. It allows for easy movement, making it a perfect tool for low-impact aquatic workouts or a fun way to float in the water. Life Time in San Clemente started incorporating the Water Saddle into their fitness programs and when Saddleback College swim coach Jennifer Rohles inquired about purchasing one for her dad, we invited them to join a class.
Rohles’s dad regularly does deep water aerobics and when Rohles saw the Water Saddle, she thought it would be a better option than the aqua belt or pool noodles that the class typically uses. Although Life Time’s class was in shallow water, Rohles was impressed with the Water Saddle and could tell it was much more accessible than other flotation options and would allow for a wider range of uses and workouts.
In addition to low-impact workouts and aqua fitness and aerobics classes, Rohles thinks the Water Saddle would be a great resource for swim coaching. It’s a great platform to rest on while teaching classes in deep water and she thinks it would be a great addition to her adaptive classes for the assistants to have somewhere to rest while in the water. She also thinks it would work well for teaching egg-beater, working on breast stroke technique, or using as an aid to rehab from an injury.
“Once I tried it, I saw that there could be so many uses for it at the pool.,” Rohles says of the Water Saddle. “I’m really excited to buy one for my dad and a couple for my team and the adaptive crew. Hopefully they see the benefits as well.”
When comparing the Water Saddle to an aqua belt, Rohles feels that it is a safer option. Speaking from experience, she says that when you get off balance and tip over while wearing the aqua belt it can be difficult to upright yourself—she’s had to rescue people in the past. She found that the Water Saddle gives you enough movement to be able to move your arms and legs and should you lose your center of balance, the saddle pops up and you can remain in a floating position.
“Every tool has pros and cons, but I just see that there are so many more pros to this one,” says Rohles. “It’s such a simple tool and there are so many uses—it’s even better than I expected.”
Rohles says the saddle is comfortable to wear and using it was simple. Although she doesn’t personally own a Water Saddle yet (they won’t be available until spring) she is already visualizing all the different uses for it. In addition to a swim and workout tool, she thinks it will be great to use for floating a river, hanging in a lake, on the boat, or grandparents or parents that want to spend time in the pool with their kids without exerting the energy. Once she owns one, she has no doubt that she will continue adding to the Water Saddle’s list of uses.
