FEATURES

In-depth features that celebrate the vibrant outdoor swimming community, spotlighting extraordinary individuals and their stories.

How a great coach made all the difference

Belgian swimmer Jean-Luc Piens says he would never have completed his English Channel crossing without the support and guidance of…
Going to any length… A Sean Conway Interview

In this interview with Jack Ross, endurance and adventure athlete Sean Conway discusses the challenges of becoming the first man…
Open water swimmer Alex Meyer on becoming a full-time athlete and training

US swimmer Alex Meyer is a former 25km open water swimming world champion (2010) and represented his country in the…
Keri-Anne Payne talks about swimming, training and chocolate

Keri-Anne Payne featured as our open water hero in the first issue of H2Open Magazine. She spoke about her Olympic…
Mad Cows come home

On Sunday morning the Cumbrian Open Water Swimmers (COWS), definitely mad, arrived back home, after completing the challenge of swimming…
Nevis to St Kitts: one width breaststroke

Different swimmers can have very different experiences of the same swim. Last week we heard from Liz Torode, who came…
Why finding a snake in your open water swimming spot is a good thing

Last weekend I decided to take a closer look at the River Mole to see if it’s suitable for swimming.…
Beware the perils of overconfidence – and some tips on swimming straight

Having completed a reasonably large number of open water swims I believe (at least, I believed until now) that I…
Why I was happy to get stung by a jellyfish

Until this weekend, I had never been stung by a jellyfish. I’ve swum many times in water where jellyfish have…
Why open water swimmers should consider joining a masters swim club

Last weekend, hundreds of adult swimmers gathered in Sheffield for the 2015 ASA National Masters and Senior Age Group Championships.…
Kids’ goggles: Right intention, wrong approach

I stumbled across a news story the other day about a school that had banned the use of goggles during…
The anatomy of a 12-hour pool swim

Swimming 12 hours non-stop in a 50m chlorinated outdoor pool is not for the faint-hearted. And I’m not alluding to…
Holidaying with Olympians

After deciding to go on holiday to France and northern Spain, I started to look for a swim event I…
Masters Open Water Swimming on the World Stage – Kazan 2015

After winning the 30-34 Age Group at the ASA National Open Water Masters at the beginning of August, Pip Bennett…
Henley Bridge to Bridge

I must admit, when I signed up for Bridge to Bridge it was as a reluctant team member of team…
Watch out Tom Daley, there’s a new champion in town

It has been a weekend of frenzied competition in the world of swimming. In the FINA World Championships in Kazan,…
Could better access to open water reduce drowning deaths?

I’m writing this while waiting for a flight back from Berlin. I’ve just spent a week in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte,…
Why pool swimmers fear open water – and what to do about it if you do

This weekend I was at The Swim Expo in Manchester where I made a presentation about open water swimming. It…
You know you’ve had a good swim when…

We’re looking for your suggestions this week. It’s easy to feel smug as a swimmer as we know that not…
Don’t be put off by your first open water swim

This is the time of year when many commercial open water venues start up for the season. If you’ve been…
What’s the point of all that swimming?

Last weekend I did a 400m freestyle race in a pool at the Gloucester Masters meet. I posted a time…
To race or not to race?

Open water swimming events give me a dilemma that never seems to come up in pool competitions: should I push…
Capturing that magic swimming feeling

Not all swims are created equal. Some days the water is light and gentle and swimming is easy. If you…
Capturing that magic swimming feeling

Not all swims are created equal. Some days the water is light and gentle and swimming is easy. If you…
What open water swimming and producing a magazine have in common

While we use the word ‘solo’ to describe a marathon swim that isn’t done as part of a relay, I’ve…