FEATURES

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

To breathe or not to breathe, that is the question

Tom Kean is a co-founder of Selkie Swim Co and a regular masters swimmer. He’s been experimenting with a new breathing…
You don’t need to swim an Ice Mile to be a real outdoor swimmer

Image: cold water swimmers having fun at Tooting Bec lido No. Definitely not. Not even tempted. Forget about it. I’m…
“I must have looked so odd with a tree attached to my trunks”

Fresh from completing an Olympic distance triathlon carrying a 100lb tree, Ross Edgley tries to convince us he isn’t barking…
How To Make Great DIY Swim Films – Top Tips #5

Week Five – Editing Stefan Stuckert is the BAFTA-nominated director of ‘Oceans 7’, a feature documentary about the open-sea swimmer…
How and why do ex-Olympic open water swimmers still train?

We caught up with Keri-anne Payne and David Carry to chat about life and swimming now they’ve retired from elite…
Getting along swimmingly

Ella Foote meets Zen seeker Tessa Wardley, who says wild swimming is the perfect medium through which to practise mindfulness…
View from the Water – It’s not a case of ‘out with the old, in with the new’

In our six years as H2Open Magazine, and now as Outdoor Swimmer, we’ve always been guided by the principle that…
Worbarrow Bay, Dorset

It was rather an impulsive statement, sat on golden sands at the tail end of last summer: “I’m going to…
Heatwave Hijinks

The recent record breaking heatwave was great for outdoor swimmers celebrating the summer solstice in style. However, with the extreme…
Club of the Month – Just Swim

Just Swim was founded by Emma Christison and Katarina Weller in June 2013. We swim all year round at Southbourne,…
Black Adder moments

As a youth, I loved Black Adder. In the 1980s, if you wanted to watch something on TV, you had…
Is it safe to swim in the River Thames?

The Thames has a reputation as a dirty river. It’s not totally undeserved. I took part in the notorious Hampton…
This month we swam with… #Chester Frosties

Simon Griffiths took a dip in the Dee with an outdoor swimming group from the North West It started, as…
Stormy weather

Outdoor Swimmer reader Jacqui Hargrave is training to swim the 10-mile length of Windermere this summer.
Club of the month – Blyth and District All Season Swimmers

Lynda Parker of the Blyth and District All Season Swimmers (BADASS) tells the story of a yellow marker buoy In…
Wild swimming spot – Dancing Ledge, Dorset

Anthony Cook and ‘support team’ escaped the hum of the South-East to the tranquillity of a deserted sea pool I…
My Swim Story – Mike Dawson

MS sufferer Mike Dawson is aiming to become the first person with MS to swim across the English Channel Swimming…
Keeping warm in cool water

A look at the research study behind FINA’s controversial ruling on wetsuit use in elite swimming events Back in 2014,…
In a class of their own

The story of Clevedon Lake And Sea Swimmers, the club behind the BBC ident Clevedon is usually a sleepy little…
Outdoor swimmers should be realistic and honest about their capabilities

Our sport continues to explode with more events, extreme swims, bucket lists, more swimmers and swimmers pushing for longer distances…
When it comes to the use of wetsuits in swimming events, let swimmers decide for themselves

Dorset-based outdoor swimmer Lisa North (pictured above) responds to our article on “The unexpected and unwanted consequences of FINA’s poorly…
Cappuccino warm-up

It’s fair to say that so far, having had the wettest June since records began, and a distinct lack of…
My swim story

My swim story began four years ago. I was forced to give up my beloved running after my hip collapsed…
Something phishy’s going on: Phil Cooper reports on a selective cold water swimming event

Saturday 21 January 2017 saw the 4th annual Parliament Hill Ice Swimming Hootenanny, better known to its possibly masochistic participants…
The art of pace versatility

From what I’ve observed, many swimmers have about three or four gears for their swimming: all out sprint, hard training…