interview:swimming
Open Water Swimming
Simon Griffiths, competitive open water swimmer and founder and publisher of H2Open magazine, talks to editor Bryony Andrews about the joys and possibilities available beyond the pool
How and why did you get into open water swimming?
I swam competitively at school until the age of about thirteen, but only in the pool. After that I took up kayaking and all the open water swimming I did was accidental. In my twenties I had a go at triathlon, which gave me my first competitive open water swimming experiences. I then lived in The Gambia for three years and did a lot of sea swimming and body surfing. Back in the UK, and after a break when my children were small, I again tackled a few triathlons and developed a definite preference for those with lake or sea swims.
How extensive is the open water swimming scene in the UK? Geographically, there are groups all around the country. One of the best ways to see this is through Facebook as many groups share their
swims and meeting places there. Many of these groups have a strong social element, especially in the Winter as the swims get shorter. As we know from Sport England’s Active People Survey, there’s been a significant jump in the number of open water swimmers. However, we shouldn’t forget that open water swimming has a long history in the UK and there are clubs such as Serpentine and Brighton Swimming Club that have been around for more than 150 years.
What are the best locations for open water swimming in the UK? This is a difficult question to answer as the UK is blessed with a fantastic diversity of beautiful swimming spots and mentioning some means omitting others. Personal favourites include the Lake District where there is great access to a wide variety of water bodies, the North Cornish
Coast (mainly for playing in the waves), Loch Ness (dark, cold, moody and slightly unnerving), the Upper Thames (surprisingly scenic and accessible) and London for the Serpentine, Hampstead Heath and the lidos. It would also be remiss not to mention North Wales, the unspoilt beaches of the North East and, for Channel swimmers, Dover Harbour, which holds a special appeal despite its somewhat murky water and concrete walls.
What would your advice be to sports and outdoor retailers looking to move into the market for open water swimming? My advice would be to not think of open water swimmers as the poor cousin of triathletes nor to think of open water swimming as just the first leg of a triathlon. Instead, think about open water swimming as a sport or activity in its own right.
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