View from the Water
Gain a fresh perspective as swimmers share their unique viewpoints and reflections on the world from the water's edge.
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Susan Taylor, and the dangers of open water swimming
The plan this week was to write more about the Henley Mile Suits versus Skins challenge that took place on…
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Is drafting over-rated?
Elite swimmers race in packs for a simple reason. If you swim behind and to the side of another swimmer,…
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You know you’re an open water swimmer when…
You see these types of lists circulating on Facebook from time to time; “you know you’re a whatever when…” There’s probably one…
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Beautiful lakes, clean rivers and a refreshing attitude to open water swimming
Last week, courtesy of Swiss Tourism and Human Race, I had the opportunity to spend four days in Switzerland. This…
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What’s the difference between pool and open water swimming?
One of our advertisers asked me yesterday if I could say in a few words what the difference is between…
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Things fall into place
One of the pleasures of writing about open water swimming is the opportunity it gives me to meet and talk…
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Keeping it up as temperatures plummet
Earlier this week we posted a short message on our Facebook page checking people hadn’t been caught out by Sunday’s…
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River flows – and how to take advantage of them
The 2012 running of the 2.25 mile (3.6km) Hampton Court to Kingston Bridge Thames swim was held in October after…
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Six things you should know about cold water swimming
Judging by the speed at which places for the 2013 Cold Water Championships have sold, cold water swimming is growing…
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Nine swimming resolutions for 2013
Clichéd though it is, we couldn’t resist the temptation to offer our New Year swimming resolution tips for 2013. Pick…
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What is failure in open water swimming?
In the next issue of H2Open Magazine (Feb/Mar 2012) 2008 Olympic marathon swimming bronze medallist Cassandra Patten shares the story…
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The Pied Piper of Cold Water Swimming
Last Saturday South London Swimming Club hosted the bi-annual Cold Water Championships at Tooting Bec Lido. Around 600 people turned…
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January 31st Resolutions
Here’s an idea we can’t claim for ourselves but overhead in a conversation: instead of New Year’s Resolutions, how about…
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Why don’t triathletes like open water swimming (and what can they do about it)?
We’ve recently spent two weekends at triathlon events (the Bike and Triathlon Show in Manchester and the Triathlon Show in…
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Experience and reality in open water swimming
I recently read Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It’s a book about the way we think and I wasn’t expecting…
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Don’t be intimidated by triathletes
We’ve had a few phone calls and emails recently from people who would like to explore open water swimming but…
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Why swimming is like music
With running or cycling most people can improve simply by going out and doing more of the activity. Performance is…
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Who will qualify?
US-based swimmer and writer Elaine K. Howley has written a piece for us on the history of open water swimming…
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How safe does it have to be before we can swim?
It’s been another frustrating weekend for open water swimmers in the UK (following, a frustrating spring and early summer). In…
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Why you need to practice open water swimming skills
The team at Swim Smooth put a lot of emphasis on ‘open water skills’ and suggest that swimmers who are…
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Dealing with lane etiquette and lane rage
A few weeks back Pauline Squire, bravely in our opinion, posted a comment on the Outdoor Swimming Society’s Facebook page…
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How to use a wetsuit to become a non-wetsuit swimmer
At our H2Open Day recently the water temperature was a little over 12 degrees Centigrade. Some people swam in full wetsuits…
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Karen Throsby’s Catalina swim
Many thanks to Beth Barnes who featured in our July issue on the I love open water swimming page for…
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Speedo Unforgettable Swims
Earlier this year Speedo launched a website atwww.unforgettableswims.com for people to share their favourite swimming memories. Interestingly, although perhaps unsurprisingly, many…
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The English Channel
Next issue is our English Channel special. We look at why this particular crossing has become the must-do swim for…