Research the site where you plan to swim. Safety should always be your first priority. Are there lifeguards on duty? If yes, let them know your swim plans; direction, time and/or distance. If not, don't swim alone. Have someone kayak, paddle, swim or walk the shore along your side. Try to stay close to shore in water depth where you can stand unless the ocean surf dictates otherwise.
Find out the water temperature so you will have a better idea what to expect. Are there hazards such as rip currents in the area? What water creatures might be encountered? Talk to the lifeguards or other local swimmers in order to get information about the site.
Have an escape plan from your swim if the weather or your body takes a turn for the worse. This is easy during a shoreline beach swim, just get out and walk back to the start.
Navigation Landmarks
Take a moment before getting in the water to look and see what's available for landmarks to help guage your location during your swim. The sun is the easiest landmark to use if it is low in the sky. If you are swimming a straight course and the sun is directly to your left while breathing, watching it will help guage your position. If it suddenly appears in front, you're off course and need to readjust. The ocean or lake shoreline is another excellent landmark that can be seen on each breath (assuming bilateral breathing is part of your repertoire) and are easy to use when swimming an out and back course along the shore.
In a lake, there may be a large tree sticking up above the horizon or a brightly colored house across the lake which can be used to keep aim; finally, a reason to be thankful for a homeowner's bright pink paint selection.
Try to use landmarks which are tall or high above the horizon as opposed to those close to the water level. If a landmark is low, it may be difficult to see if there are waves or swell. Look for tall buildings, water towers or church steeples. While swimming at open water camp in Mooselookmeguntic Lake in Maine -yes, that is the actual name of the lake- mountains in the area provided excellent landmarks.
Getting In The Water
Some swimmers have a saying, "The worst part of workout is getting in the pool." Getting into open water isn't any easier. Is better to get in slowly and adjust to the temperature or get in quickly? Try both and see which is preferable, either is acceptable with one caveat. If the air temperature is cold, a lot of body heat can be lost while "getting in" if it takes several minutes. Better to get in quickly and lose less body heat than slowly and get chilled before starting. If the water is cold but the air is warm, and sun is shining, it's OK to take longer getting in since your body's not losing heat.
Many open water athletes swim for time rather than distance for their training. While watching your wristwatch, time might seem like it is D R A G G I N G! This is fairly common. Five minutes seems like twenty. Don't worry; your 'time sense' will improve with more open water practice.
Adjusting to swimming for long periods without turns, takes time. Take it easy and try to enjoy your first open water experience. Check in after the first few minutes, and ask yourself, "Am I relaxed?" If your arms and legs feel like 2x4's, concentrate on relaxing your muscles and see if that helps your comfort level improve. The mind is your company during open water swims, and its important to keep the "little voice" (sometimes it's shouting) in your head echoing a positive message. Try to keep the 'negative' thoughts (this #*$% stinks!) to a minimum. Sometimes it's helpful to yell out negative thoughts, "This water is FREEZING" or "These waves are horrible!", and get them out of your system.
Don't be concerned if your first experience isn't nirvana. Remember back, learning to ride a bike or drive a car? Those skills weren't second nature the first time either. The more experience gained in open water will help increase your comfort level. There is a freedom and challenge swimming in open water which just can't be experienced in the pool. So go out and have some fun with it!
