Swim Fact Sheets 
Open water skills: the basics
By Elizabeth Scott
Open water swimming can be a fantastic experience and hobby, truly exhilarating, challenging and even relaxing on a warm summers evening.Taking part in an open water organised event is a great way to keep you motivated and have fun!
Below you will find some basic tips to ensure that you have the best possible experience on your event day.
1. Getting used to the cold water: If you are new to open water swimming in cold water, always give yourself time to get used to the temperature of the water before you start swimming. Walk into the lake or river and over the course of a couple of minutes submerge your body up to your neck. Pull the neck of your wetsuit out and let some of that cold water in! Yikes!! That thin layer of water in your wetsuit will soon warm up and act as an insulation layer. Novice swimmers may want to float on their backs for a minute and then turn over and put their face into the water until they feel comfortable with the feeling of the cold water on their face and also to get used to what they will see under the water. For novice swimmers, start swimming nice and easy with long steady strokes. Event day tip: Be prompt at the swim start so that you have time to acclimatise to the temperature.
2. Breathing: Although not essential (so don’t let it put you off!) it is useful for open water swimming to be able to breathe bilaterally – that is breathing every 3 strokes alternating breathing to the right and the left. Every time you breathe you will have the opportunity to see the bank or other swimmers and this will help keep you on course.
3. Sighting: Sighting is how a swimmer stays on course in open water training and during a race or an event. Before you start your session or event review the course. If there are marker buoys – is there a bigger landmark behind the buoy – an isolated tree, or a pylon for example that will make for bigger and therefore easier sighting targets. There are different ways to “sight” when swimming and you will find out what works best for you. The simplest method is to lift your head out of the water and look for your “target” as you are turning your head to breathe. But take care not to lift your head too high as this will adversely affect your body position. Training tip: Practice your sighting in your pool sessions. Focus on maintaining a long stroke even as you lift your head.
4. Turning: Most events will follow a course marked by buoys that you will have to pass or turn around. But turning around close to a buoy is not always the best thing to do. Often, in open water events, you will find yourself turning around a buoy at the same time as many other swimmers – you could find yourself getting knocked and struggling for space. This can be very off putting for the novice swimmer! You can make much quicker progress by swimming in an arc 2-3 metres away from the buoy and maintaining your rhythm and pace. Training tip: Practice your turning skills in your pool sessions by turning wide at the end of the length and pushing off the wall.
5. Mass starts: Starting an event with many other swimmers, all eager to race to the first buoy can be hectic! If this is your first event or if you are not a strong swimmer make sure that you “seed” yourself at the start. You may want to start a few rows back from the front and maybe at the side of the group. This will give you more space and you will avoid stronger swimmers swimming over you. Keep calm and start your race nice and steady – resist the temptation to race off as fast as you can as you may run out of steam after 100m.
6. Relax and enjoy: Open water swim events are fun. Keep relaxed as this will help your swim stroke and enjoy the day!