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Should you sign up for a long-distance open water swim this summer?
Event companies have started opening entries for this summer. I’ve seen some chat on social media from swimmers wondering if…
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Surfacing an Aquatic Diaspora
Contrary to the enduring myth, Africans have always been expert swimmers. By Elaine K Howley Kevin Dawson grew up a…
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What is it like to swim an English Channel relay?
One year late – because of Covid – plus the 17 hours and 18 minutes it took to swim across,…
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FINA must reverse their decision and do more to promote diversity in swimming
FINA reject SOUL CAP application to certify their swimming caps for elite competition
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Swimming wild in the city – our favourite urban swim events
Think of wild swimming and your first thought might not be a dock in east London. But our capital city…
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The mystery of the missing silver rose bowl trophy
Michael Jennings hadn’t seen the silver trophy he was awarded for swimming the English Channel in 1960 for over fifty…
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Lifeguarding outdoors in winter: a chat with an open water lifeguard
We chat to Francesca Ridgard, a lifeguard at London Royal Docks, to find out what it’s like to lifeguard outdoors…
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Inspire the adventure: my life in outdoor books
The story of new nature writing goes hand in hand with the contemporary upsurge in wild swimming. Indeed, my own…
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My First Post-Lockdown Swim
I know I’m not the only person imagining my first post-lockdown swim. Sometimes when I can’t sleep, taking my thoughts…
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Red Bull New Year, New Challenge
Want To Tackle The World’s Toughest Uphill Open Water Swim? This January, Red Bull’s New Year, New Challenge is a…
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Of strongmen and stunt swimming: a history of alternative swimming achievements
Isn’t a marathon swim hard enough without towing trees, boats full of people, or swimming while shackled? In October 2018,…
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Tarn Baggers
In the 1950s, Colin Dodgson and Timothy Tyson swam in every tarn in the Lake District. Richard Nelsson recounts the…
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Chairman of the Rivers – The Strange Swimming History of Mao Zedong
A life-long swimmer, Mao Zedong used his athletic achievements for political gain. By Elaine K Howley Born to a wealthy…
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Remembering Charles Sprawson
I was saddened to hear the news that Charles Sprawson passed this week. His book, Haunts of the Black Masseur:…
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The loneliness of the black long distance swimmer
On 25 August 1981, Charles Chapman, AKA Charlie the Tuna, became the first black swimmer to complete a solo crossing…
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Swimming with your dog – safety advice and kit suggestion
The Red Original Dog Buoyancy Aid is a great option for keeping your dog safe during water-based activities. You love…
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Swimming while black: stories from the community
We love to say that open water swimming is for all. But is that aspirational rather than a statement of…
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How to train for mental fitness
Top athletes know that better begins in your mind, and that performing at your best in sport all depends on…
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Tales from lockdown: how has Covid-19 impacted the world of outdoor swimming?
As coronavirus forces the closure of the world’s open waters, the outdoor swimming community waits patiently for its return. In…
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Making history in the English Channel
How Sam Penny, a 46-year-old Australian civil engineer turned cheesemaker, became the first person in history to attempt a winter…
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“When I turn up to a pool I just see myself as a swimmer.” Team GB’s Alice Dearing’s on racism in swimming
It is only at the end of our conversation that Alice Dearing mentions that she has never been wild swimming.…
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The Burkini Line
The history of the burkini and its role in empowering Muslim women to take to the open water
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Out to swim: The transgender woman who found her tribe in outdoor swimming
Transgender swimmer Eden Elgeti has found her tribe in outdoor swimming “I was a bit nervous when I first starting…
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5 historic indoor swimming pools in the UK
It’s still winter, which means it still too cold to convince some swimmers to venture out for a wild or…
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What is SIPE and what are the risks?
Sarah Spencer and Dr Lindsay Forbes shine some light on swimming-induced pulmonary oedema (SIPE) – a poorly understood but potentially…
