Open water swimming is a unique branch of swimming that is performed in rivers, lakes, and oceans – or any other body of water that isn’t a swimming pool. Conditions vary and swimmers need to be flexible and able to adapt to different sorts of extremes. Some races force swimmers to survive strong wind and waves while other races involve strategically navigating currents. Open water swims are done in both hot and cold climates and in water that varies in its degree of cleanliness. Dodging boats, knocking elbows with other competitors and sighting various types of sea creatures are all exciting components of the sport of open water swimming!

Open water swimming is an Olympic sport.  The 10-kilometer distance was conducted at the Olympic Games for the first time ever in Beijing in the summer of 2008 and open water swimmers around the world are currently preparing for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

Although the 10K is the official Olympic distance, there are many different lengths of open water competitions. In elite international competition, the three distances in which athletes compete are the 5K, 10K and 25K races.  There are races and swims all over the world, however, that are much longer than 25 kilometers. Some open water swimmers prefer races that take two hours or less while others prefer the challenge of swimming for eight hours or more.

Please check out the following websites to learn even more about open water swimming:

FEEDING: HAVE A SURE-FOOTED COACH

Feeding platforms can get pretty crowded… a misstep can cost a swimmer a race.  If a coach falls from the feeding platform during a race, his/her swimmer may be disqualified.