It’s Time to Swim: Open Water 101

While many athletes complain about the “black line fever” associated with pool swimming, the “no-bottom fever” of open water can feel even worse.

Surveys consistently show that one of the biggest barriers to participation in triathlon is the swim. For many athletes, the idea of swimming in open water, especially in a crowded race start, can feel intimidating.

The good news? Like any skill in triathlon, open-water confidence can be developed with practice. Here are a few tips to help you make your first sessions of the season more comfortable and productive.

Cold Water Hacks

It’s still only April, but if you have early-season races and want to get some open-water prep in, there are a number of things you can do to stay comfortable.

A thermos of warm water poured down your wetsuit just before getting in can help ease the initial shock. Or you can drink lots of warm tea beforehand and create your own warm water (yes – pee in your wetsuit) once you enter the water.

There are also neoprene booties, gloves, and caps available to help retain heat. You can double up silicone swim caps and apply Vaseline on exposed areas such as the cheeks, hands, or feet. It’s messy, but it helps.

Another one of my favourite tips is the use of ear plugs. A simple pair can make cold water considerably more comfortable. The colder the water, the more likely swimmers are to experience vertigo when they first enter. Ear plugs can eliminate that effect almost entirely. Foam plugs used for noise reduction work well, but silicone plugs are even better.

Another strategy is to have a “training” wetsuit and a “racing” suit. Racing suits use thinner neoprene where flexibility is needed and thicker panels where it’s not. A simple single-thickness suit is generally cheaper, more durable, and warmer – though slightly slower. I like this solution because it fits the philosophy I believe in: train heavy, race light.

Buddy Up

Swimming alone in open water is never a great idea, and for some athletes it can be downright terrifying.
If the vastness of open water makes you anxious, find others to swim with. If that’s not possible, consider asking a friend to paddle alongside you in a kayak or on a paddleboard.

Crowd Control

On the flip side, the fear of swimming in close proximity to others can be equally paralyzing. Yet this is exactly what race day looks like, making it an important skill to practise.

The solution is similar to overcoming the fear of open water itself: get in with other swimmers and get comfortable having people around you. It doesn’t take long to realize that the contact that happens during training and racing is rarely as bad as our imagination suggests.

Race-Specific Skills

As race day approaches, make sure your open-water sessions include more than just steady swimming.
Practise the specific skills you’ll need when the gun goes off: fast starts, intervals at expected race pace, sighting, and drafting. The last two are critical techniques that can save significant time and energy on race day.

To help you put these skills into practice, we’ve included a sample workout below. Braving the open water may feel intimidating, but those who do it will reap the rewards when it counts.

Open Water Training: Sample Workout

Once you’re in the water, avoid simply swimming long, easy loops. Many athletes default to steady efforts that are far below race intensity and lack the cumulative effort of a structured pool session.
Instead, go in with a plan. It’s even better if you have training partners with you. A productive open-water session might look like this:

10 minutes of warm up
4 x 40 seconds at start speed / rest 30 seconds between each effort
400m (or 6-7 minutes) moderate / 45 seconds rest
4 x 200m (or 3-4 minutes) strong / 45 seconds rest
800m (or around 15 minutes) of steady draft work. Exchange the lead every 50 strokes – the leader pulls over and the others swim past. This is best done in groups of three to four.
4 x 40 seconds surge / 30 seconds easy between each effort
400m (7-8 minutes) cool down

Clint Lien is the head coach of Mercury Rising Triathlon in Victoria: for more information visit www.mercuryrisingtriathlon.com.