If you’re doing a wetsuit swim, choose your suit carefully. An ill-fitted or badly made wetsuit will increase your stress levels. If it fills with water, it may feel as if it’s dragging you down. Don’t let anyone sell you a diving or surfing wetsuit for open water swimming as they won’t deliver the performance benefits of a swimming-specific suit and you will tire more quickly. I always recommend full-sleeved suits for the additional warmth as you can’t relax if you’re cold. See our guide on page 44 about how to put on a wetsuit properly, and note also the advice on using anti-chafing cream. Finally, while elite swimmers use caps for streamlining and
keeping hair out of their faces, in open water they also help keep you warm. Brightly coloured caps are good. If people can see you, you are safer, and that should keep your confidence up.
SET YOUR SIGHTS Learning to swim straight, sight and navigate efficiently in open water will make a more enjoyable swim. Swimming off- course wastes time and energy, adds to the stress of your swim and can cause some people to panic. If possible, choose your sighting points before you enter the water. Pick objects that won’t move: buoys, trees, electricity pylons or buildings.
It’s sometimes difficult to see buoys once you’re in the water so it helps to identify landmarks behind them if possible. Accept that sometimes you won’t be able to see where you are going because of waves or other swimmers splashing around you and try to stay calm until you can. If you do get worried about where you’re going, swim breast stroke or aim for the nearest bank, beach or buoy so you can stabilise yourself before continuing.
IS IT CLEAN? One worry people have, although it’s often unfounded, is pollution in open water. Sometimes events require that we swim in water that smells bad and looks worse, and we have to ask: “Is it really safe enough to swim in?” Any swimming event or venue will regularly monitor the water quality, so the answer should be yes, and the risks of falling ill as a result of swimming are small, but if you do feel unwell after contact with the water, especially if you develop flu-like symptoms, seek medical advice. Leptospirosis, or Weil's disease, is a minor concern. It is a bacterial infection carried by animals, particularly rats, that can be passed out in their urine into lake or river water. You can become infected by drinking contaminated water or if
A CHANGE OF FOCUS CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SUCCESSFUL SWIM AND A PANIC ATTACK
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