View from the Water

Gain a fresh perspective as swimmers share their unique viewpoints and reflections on the world from the water's edge.

Swim and Eat at the new Thames Lido in Reading

Outdoor swimming frequently involves changing under a towel in a muddy car park before slipping into cold murky water followed…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
Seven things to think about for open water swimming races in rough conditions

The first indication I had that the Spetses Swim* would be a little rougher than I’d anticipated was in the…
How long do people have to train to swim the English Channel?

I was asked this question through the website Quora, and this is the answer I gave. If anyone who has…
Can early morning swimming make you rich?

At the pool this morning I overheard a teacher giving his students a pep talk. It went something like this:…
Why I’ve signed up for a 31-mile pool swimming challenge

The other day I received an email that said, “would you like to join us in swimming 31 miles, in…
In praise of masters swimming

Don’t worry, we’re not planning to drop open water swimming and return to the confines of the pool, but with…
Can we have this in the UK please?

Here’s an idea for how local authorities in seaside towns can support open water swimming. Firstly, identify a suitable swimming…
Man dies due to inactivity

Firstly, apologies for a slightly misleading title on a serious subject, but there’s a point that will become clear below.…
Brownsea Island Swim 2016

When I was about 10 I did a sponsored swim where I had to do as many lengths as possible…
Becoming an open water coach

Two weeks ago I took a trip to Walsall and the offices of the STA (Swimming Teachers’ Association) to do…
Life lessons from open water swimming: nothing great is easy

Can what we learn through swimming help us elsewhere in our lives? I think it can, although the lessons are…
#31miles6days – Harder than expected

When I signed up with #TeamBetter from GLL to swim 31 miles in 31 pools in six days, I didn’t…
Councils should ban walking or running near water

In 2014, 138 people in the UK drowned after falling in while running or walking alongside water. Forty-six of these…
To swim faster, stop caring about it

Asking you to stop caring about how fast you swim in order to swim faster sounds totally counter-intuitive, but bear…
With a little help from my friends…

Image (c) DEPhoto.biz I spent last weekend up in Sheffield at the ASA National Masters Championships. This is a pool-based gala…
A tale of two bridges, too much chocolate and pacing strategy

A few days before it took place, Jeremy Laming from Henley Swim asked me if I would be a pace…
Open water racing & pacing

Last week we posted a question about open water racing and pacing on our Facebook page: “Someone who you think…
Why our choice of words matters to our fellow swimmers

I was reminded this week about the importance of being careful with language and how the way we use words…