How to get into open water swimming?
Open water in swimming is not as straightforward as it looks. Unlike running, it is more complicated than buying shoes, finding a route and off you go. So…how do you get into open water swimming?
That’s what we are trying to answer in today’s blog. We will be looking at the aspects that you should consider if you want to start with swimming in open water.
Be honest about how much you want to get into open water swimming
Before going out and buying a wetsuit, there is a question that you should consider. Do you want to swim in open water? We mean, open water is great, it can be more exciting than swimming in a pool. But is it something for you?
Think before you swim.
Open water has fish, slimly vegetation and insects. It’s not always clean and at times it could even be polluted (but you can learn how to spot a clean lake with our tips). And even if the lake or the sea is safe, you could still be bitten by a range of bugs. All kinds of fish might crawl past your leg, and who knows what kind of vegetation you will find.
If you are not that comfortable with the outdoors, you might want to stick with a pool. And that’s fine too. Swimming should be fun. It should never feel like something that you should be doing.
Start In The Pool
Hold on, aren’t we talking about open water swimming? Yes, but a hear me out a minute. It is possible to start right away in open water. But it is not advised. Open water, whether that is the sea or a lake, is a dynamic environment, which means that not a swim will be the same. And if you haven’t got any experience, it going to be hard.
Get your start in the pool!
Open water has shifting conditions, with changes in currents and waves, that influence your speed in the water. In a pool, you can work on your stamina and technique. If you can swim a distance in a pool, you can only swim half that distance in open water. Let’s say you can swim for 40 minutes nonstop in the pool, it would mean that you could swim for 20 minutes in open water.
What you should train in a pool:
-> Alternate breathing
-> Sighting
-> Varying your stroke
There Is no best time
The advice you usually hear is that the best time to get into open water swimming is in the spring and summer months. We don’t disagree, but it should be taken with a grain of salt.
Do you want to go for your first open swim when it’s snowing? Probably not, but open water will always be colder than the water you are used to from the pool. The other benefit of starting in the autumn or early winter is that you get a good feel for what it is to swim in cold water.
Do not let the time or the cold influence your decision to swim in open water. If it’s not snowing and you’re not freezing your hands off, you should be fine.
Lake Geneva in Winter.
What you do need, is a wetsuit. A wetsuit will keep you warm and will help you to stay on top of the water which makes it easier to swim. The best option for newcomers is a full wetsuit with sleeves.
It is a little more expensive but will keep you warmer. You should get a swimsuit with a thickness of at least 3mm. And make sure that your wetsuit is big enough to give you space to move. You don’t want your wet suit limiting your movement while you’re in the water.
Final checklist before your first open water swim
If you are sure about your motivation, you are confident in your swimming skills and you got your wetsuit ready, there is not much more to it. It’s time to find an adequate swim spot and get into the water. But before you do, just make sure you got these safety rules covered:
Have a swim buddy that’s coming with you. Either someone watching you from the coast or someone going into the water with you.
You got your route planned out. You’re not going too far on your first swim and you will be swimming parallel to the coast to not go too far out in the water and get lost.
You will be wearing a coloured swim hat and a tow float so that you’re extra visible in the water.
Alright, well that’s all you need. Off you go into the open water. Do you have any more questions on how to get into open water swimming? We are here to help you out, feel free to contact us with your questions.
If need some motivation to get keep going, we recommend signing up for an event. LGSA has an event that’s perfect for starting open water swimmers, Escape Léman. Escape Léman is an event with 4 shorter distances and a classic sailing boat as a start-off point. Read more about Escape Léman.