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Open Water Section

Open water swimming is not the same as pool swimming – the water is colder; seawater is salty and wavy; seas, rivers and even lakes can have currents; it may be windy and rainy; you might not be able to stand up, and you could be along way from the side! You also need to swim in a straight line without the assistance of a painted line or lane ropes. These differences are what attract some people to the open water and keep others from it.

Newcomers to open water swimming should try to gain some experience prior to entering an event if at all possible. The effects of the cold vary from person to person, so you need to understand how you are affected before you take on too much. Suitable supervision/support is essential to ensure both safety in the water, and warming up quickly afterwards. Swimming with an experienced open water swimmer is advisable.
 
Open water events usually limit entry numbers for safety reasons, so once you’re decided upon an event submit an application as soon as you can to avoid disappointment. If you a choosing your first event, look for something quite short, such as 1km or 1 mile, and remember the water should be warmer in late summer compared to early summer.
Some ASA events require a club coach / official to be present when swimmers under the age of 17 are in the water. Please check the entry conditions.
Your ASA membership needs to be category 2 to enter ASA organised events, so you must check whether you are currently category 1 or 2.
British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLDSA)
The Champion of Champions Dover Harbour - 18th June 2011
1, 3 and 5 mile events. Opens in Feb/March. 25 junior places, 75 open

BLDSA run events all over the UK and Ireland. http://www.bldsa.org.uk/

ASA
The ASA organises a series of coastal races during the summer on the south coast from Dover to Portsmouth. The dates for 2011 have not been announced yet, but you can look out for them on this website http://www.southeastswimming.org/openwater/

Team Outrageous (local)
In recent years there have also been events at Leybourne Lakes, organised by TeamOutrageous (who mainly run triathlons). They have not announced open water race dates for 2011 yet, but they should appear on their website https://sites.google.com/site/teamoutrageous1/events

Outdoor Swimming Society (OSS)
For those who just want the experience of open water swimming, but don’t want to race, the Outdoor Swimming Society may have some swims of interest http://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/. Local swims listed include:

Ironman Swim, River Arun, West Sussex on Sat 4th June 2011 at 14:40. 3.8km swim, on a river with the second-fastest tidal flow in the country, which guarantees a good time! £22 entry fee includes transport to the start and charity contributions. http://www.rawenergypursuits.co.uk/events/river-arun-sironman-swim/ Wetsuits likely to be compulsory. Check entry conditions.

British Gas Great London Swim, Victoria Docklands on Sat 2nd July 2011. Over 16s only, 1 mile swim in London Docklands. £37 entry includes hat, T-shirt & medal. Expect 1000s of swimmers! www.greatswim.org

More details and other swims listed on http://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/index.php?p=events&s=&id=62

Swimtrek
Swimtrek offer training tours and swimming adventure holidays. Their website says it all. http://www.swimtrek.com/

Nigel Robson

openwater@sevenoakssc.org

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