So you've been swimming up and down the length of the pool for years and are ready to get out there and do some open water swimming? Open water swims and triathlons have gained huge popularity in the last few years. Being an adequate pool swimmer will help you tremendously in the open water, but it’s not enough! Before you go dipping into your local body of water, keep these tips in mind:

1. Never swim alone. For safety purposes, always swim with a group or bring along a friend. Given the unknown elements, a dangerous situation may arise such as fog, currents, boats, etc. where you will be in much better shape with others around.

2. Adjust to cold water. If the water you are training in is cold, below 66 degrees Fahrenheit, be prepared. Wetsuits are necessary. Wearing a swim cap and earplugs can help keep your head warm. Get in the water slowly and only get in for 5-20 minutes the first time out, gradually increasing your time in the water with each swim.

3. Upon exit of your cold water swim, drink warm fluids, take off your wetsuit, and dress warmly.

Now, what other skills do you need to master the open water? Stick practicing these two fundamentals to open water swimming and you will have no worries when it comes to your first (or your next) open water race or triathlon:

Navigation. In the pool, it is easy to swim straight- you have lane lines and a black line at the bottom of the pool to keep you from going to far off course (although, this doesn’t prevent some people from often bumping into the lane line!) Not being able to swim straight in the open water can add unwanted distance to the race, and slow you down. The problem is not sighting enough to see where you are going. Most swimmers, in fact, do not sight, and end up off course (one reason not to trust that the person in front of you knows exactly what they are doing!)

You should sight often as a beginner. Every 6-8 arm cycles is usually adequate. Lift your head at the beginning of a breath, just enough so that your goggles are just above the water. As soon as you spot the shore or an object, continue your rotation and take a breath as you tilt your head to the side. The best time to lift your head is when the arm of the side you breathe on is coming forward. As the arm passes by your goggle line, move your head to the other side and lay it down by your shoulder.

Note: Practice this in the pool first. It takes some practice, but you will get it if you just do 50-100 yards/meters of this every time you’re in the pool.

Drafting. In Open Water swimming official rules, drafting is allowed and will be a big benefit to you! First, you are getting pulled a bit by someone else. Estimates are that this gives about a 10% advantage. Second, you won’t have to look up as often, as you can let your lead swimmer do that for you. However, you still need to sight; if they are headed off course you don’t want a blind leading the blind situation!

Just like sighting, drafting is best practiced in a pool. Practice with your lane buddies. You want to be close to the person in front of you without touching their feet. Ultimately, you want to be directly behind the swimmer. Make sure again, that you are not touching their feet, and that they are on course.

Open water swimming can be challenging, but for many it is FUN and a nice change from "following the black line" at the bottom of the pool. Find out now where the next open water or triathlon event is coming up in your area on trifind.com!