[Closed] Open water swimming anyone?

I do it a Boundry Park in Cheshire. I have a 15 minute ride from my house, which is enough to get a right good sweat on at the moment. Straight in and do a mile...its brilliant! Really refreshing, i love it!!

The only tip i can suggest is that when the colder months come in, get a good flask and one of these! https://dryrobe.com/collections/dryrobe-advance-long-sleeve

Other than, just enjoy it, it's effin ace and the one i go to there's a bit of a social scene too!

Towel dry off well afterwards if you can't shower straight away to avoid swimmer's itch

1000m is really good going

In my triathlon days I was taught about 'sighting' ie twisting head forwards to see where you're going after you've taken a breath in front crawl. If I was just doing it for the buzz it'd be breast stroke anyway

Used to be called ‘swimming’ 😉

Big fan, but it’s tough (in most of England) to find clean water?

Been twice this week already, 2.5km on Monday (with wetsuit) and about 1km (no wetsuit, cycle to the res and back) last night.

Tips? Learn how to sight while doing front crawl (plenty of vids on youtube that can explain it better than me), and a swimhat will make the biggest difference to not getting cold.

Enjoy 🙂 !

I call it "swimming the sea". Love it. My only slightly interesting story is that I stopped going when I had my heart problems diagnosed, cos I was worried the water temp and the exertion would be problematic. But, went down to the beach last week, did a big (for me) swim and it was fine! It was lovely. Been 4 times since. It's a 10 mile ride to the beach from home, almost all off road, so quite a nice thing to do in the warm weather.

Yep, been swimming right through since last June.
just keep going and you will make it through winter.
get out if you start to feel warm as that is a bad sign. Tow float is useful and rather than a dry robe have a look at smoc smoc as they actually dry you and don't feel itchy compared to dry robes and the Charlie Mcleod ones

Recent swims include:

an old open cast brown coal mine near Leipzig that had filled up with water. It was chilly and the dead fish on the banks didn't inspire but all went well.

the Wansee near Berlin. Clear water and warm but the weed! Dense weed growing right to the surface. It's the most worrying experience I've had swimming for years, I went into the weed at full speed and then took several minutes to pick my way out. The first time in my life a float would have been useful.

It's nice after being so warm when the water gets warm and murky... Then a good storm seems to flush it through and you get cool clear water. I have a day free in the week currently and intend to do some "swimming"

Used to be called ‘swimming’

See also "Enduro Trails" (trails) and "Reusable cups" (cups).

Yep second go this week, tonight in the sea. More of an efficient doggy paddle than a swim though. Warm jacket, flask of teafor when getting out.

..but the weed! Dense weed growing right to the surface

Ooh, I wouldn't like that! I get freaked out when a bit of seaweed touches me! 😛

My wife is Swiss, I'm British, we moved to Switzerland at the end of last year, a big factor being that it's a great place for me to go mountain biking and her to get in more swimming...

She was hoping to swim 52 lakes in 52 weeks this year, we might not manage it this as Covid put a bit of a cramp in the plan, but that aside it's very doable.

We're off for 2 weeks in the (vague) area of Interlaken on Saturday, so I expect she'll get quite a few more in 🙂

If you need inspiration have a look at her Instagram

I really like the sound of this but haven't swum (swimmed?) since I was a kid so think I would need to re-learn which I guess might not be possible at the moment.

Edit- maybe it's "swam"

It's "swum" 🙂

I do triathlons and they always involve OW swimming... my only tips would be to take it easy at the start (particularly when it's cold) and take a buoy with you if you're on your own (particularly in the sea) - it makes you visible to boats and jetskis, and of course can be used as a float if you get into trouble or need a rest.

what tips and tricks have you found

Watch out for boats 🙂

but the weed! Dense weed growing right to the surface

Ooh, I wouldn’t like that! I get freaked out when a bit of seaweed touches me! 😛

Don't swim in Holme Pierrepoint in Nottingham then whatever you do. I've done a couple of races there and I swear some people were tugging themselves along using all the weed growing up from the bottom rather than actually swimming 😀

Haha, 2014 outlaw at National Watersports Centre. There was little choice but to drag yourself along in the weeds. I remember it well.

Snap! But it was the Outlaw 2011 and 2012. Sounds like it's every year...

It wasn't weedy last time i swam at Holme Pierrepont but the snail parasites got me there, wouldn't recommend!

Maybe the weeds were too much for the parasites.

I swim on a regular basis in the Tyne and North Tyne River. Only in summer do I not wear a wetsuit.

I am massively missing the cold water though. Due to lockdown I ended up going from 8° to about 17° and am properly wanting the cold water back again. It feels nicer

I swam between two islands in the Isles of Scilly last week. Was accosted by a curious seal. Those things are massive!

get out if you start to feel warm as that is a bad sign.

That’s interesting. Why is that? I used to swim in a sort of a backwater behind a (natural) weir along the River Clun. The river rises near Welsh Hills in the Westernmost English settlement on the Anglo-Welsh border. Such a short river tends to be pretty cold and I’d take my morning dip hooting at the sharp cold as I inched into it. Way too cold to jump straight in I reckon, but what do I know?

So I’d get up to my neck and begin swimming around trying not to gasp at the f-f-f—flipping nut-cracking coolness of the stream. Then after (say) 15 mins I’d begin to acclimatise and it would feel almost warm, at least relaxing to the point where I’d tread water, lie on back and generally lounge around. Would usually get out while getting warmer only because it was a small area and so any swimming was limited in scope.

Spanner water - tightens your...

I swim regularly, either by falling out a canoe or by choice on a nice summers day coming off the hill or home from work. I don't think I've called it anything but 'going for a swim'.

I can't find a ref to the reasons but all the other ow swimmers I know have had at least one run in with it.
for me it was the stage just before I started shivering in the water.
I got properly cold and took me an age to warm up. Felt light headed etc.
I believe it is one of the signs of hypothermia. But it was def something everyone has warned about.
By warm I mean that you start to think you can swim for ages in the water, it is different to having got used to the cold.
my language skills are not good enough to explain better, will try to find a ref

Thames is lovely at the moment. Get a swim buoy if you are expecting boats. Even an orange swimming cap is not particularly visible. I normally swim in a rash top for sun protection, but a swimming wetsuit is on the list.

Growing up in a seaside town on a beach means the concept of "open water" does not register.

Tired - if you are not worried about racing and want a nice robust wetsuit then have a look at the alpkit ones

Others have said it already but learning to sight is hugely important. I’ve followed people in open water events in the past who are fast swimmers but hopeless sighters and they’re all over the place. Bilateral breathing also helps a lot if it is choppy so as to not drink loads of (sea) water. And a bright swim cap in case you’re sharing the water with other craft, maybe a tow float too if mixing with powerboats.

a tow float too if mixing with powerboats.

A tow float is also a great place to stash a car key, maybe a small bottle of water and a gel, etc.

Used to be called ‘swimming’

I call it “swimming the sea”.

Growing up in a seaside town on a beach means the concept of “open water” does not register.

It's a handy term to differentiate it from pool swimming, and also includes swimming in reservoirs (hardly wild!), lakes, lochs and rivers. Also my Garmin turns the GPS on when you select "Open Water", but instead counts lengths when you select "Pool Swim". YMMV.

+1 mogrim. I swim plenty in the pool (or used to...) and obviously it's useful to differentiate.

Next session tomorrow afternoon - need to watch some of those sighting vids because I was bloody useless with direction was swimming crawl!

Sighting is a real skill to learn.

My recommendation, don't sight every stroke, instead every 4, 6 or 8 etc.

The reason being, to sight you have to lift your chin up which then arches your back and if you do it say every right arm you will have a very uneven stroke.

Try looking for a tree, building, hill etc, and find that each time and only just get your eyes out of the water.

Old tennis shoes,

Just seeing you on the where to live post.

Are you Edgworth based?
Me too.

Sighting is a real skill to learn.

My recommendation, don’t sight every stroke, instead every 4, 6 or 8 etc.

Best way I find to do it is to combine it with your breathing: as your right arm enters the water lift your head briefly, sight the buoy/tree/bright red beach hut then turn your head to the left to breathe. And continue with your stroke. (Or left arm/breathe to right, whatever's easiest for you).

Or if you're knackered use it as an excuse to do a bit of breaststroke 🙂

My planned Sunday swim will have to be Loch Insh as Morlich has the blue-green algae. Are folk checking water quality before they head in?

Yes. I'm a member of a swimming club which owns a disused quarry in Bristol. I try to go 2-4 times a week but only swim a sedate 3-500m a time. The green setting and social chat are a goood part of the appeal.

Old tennis shoes,
Just seeing you on the where to live post.
Are you Edgworth based?
Me too.

No, I grew up in Bromley cross, worked at the Strawbury Duck for a while as a student and I have friends in Edgworth that went to school with. But I’ve lived in Scotland since the mid 90s.

Still a great place to be based for riding and walking. I commute off road to Bury via bull Hill and peel Tower, fab.

Strawbury duck serves great beer now after a few poor years but is rammed on a sunny weekend. If you ever feel like reminiscing don't come on a Sunday lunch time.

I wonder who you know who's still here.
Marcus Milton?

I'm relatively new, only 25 years. Blimey

Cooling down, but still going - lunchtime session tomorrow. Just like swimming in The Jumbles when I was a kid.

This is inspiring

Did my ride to the beach today. Sea was amazing, so warm and waves just choppy enough my make it interesting. Pissed with rain as soon as I got out of the water though, so the ride home wasn’t so pleasant!