View from the Water

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

View from the Water – Outdoor swimming communities are awesome

Originally built in the 1930s, Bude Sea Pool has been a popular swimming spot for generations and is the top…
A few lessons from 2Swim4Life

This year I took part in my first ever 2Swim4Life event. I wasn’t brave (or foolhardy) enough to take on…
The David Wilkie problem

Last week, a few of the national papers picked up on a swimming related story that’s relevant to anyone who…
We’re changing, but we’re also staying the same

Image: saying goodbye to H2Open but hello to Outdoor Swimmer We are changing our name to Outdoor Swimmer and increasing…
Treat the options in open water swimming as a menu, not a ‘to do’ list

What do you want from open water swimming? I used to do a bit of triathlon, which is a very…
Swimming for Good with Aspire

Image: Aspire Channel Swimmers’ dinner with guest speaker Kevin Murphy Starting eight years ago, Aspire, the spinal injuries charity, has…
When is a swim more than just a swim?

Image: Steve Wand Memorial Swim (c) Neil Gear Towards the end of 2015, a bunch of guys gathered at Charlton…
Water is dangerous; swimming is relatively safe

The recently released statistics from the Water Incident Database (WAID) show that 321 people drowned in the United Kingdom in…
Don’t let the clock spoil your open water swim

Last weekend I took part in Swim Serpentine, a new open water event on the UK calendar. It ran over…
A few reasons why swimming isn’t a waste of time

Last week the Telegraph posted a story with the alarming and misleading headline: “Most swimmers are wasting their time, say…
A tale of two swims

This weekend I took part in two very different swims. The first, the Great Newham London Swim, had more than…
Staying on message

On a hot, sunny afternoon earlier this month I went out for a paddle on the Thames and came across…
You get what you train for (mostly)

Last weekend was the infamous BLDSA Champion of Champions in Dover Harbour. I took part for the second time and…
A never-ending swimming journey

Often in swimming we set goals with a clearly defined end point: complete an open water mile, swim the length…
Hold your line and keep on swimming

During a Q&A at the RLSS Open Water Festival last weekend a swimmer asked: “What should I do if I’m…
More on the power of pacing

I hope this isn’t beginning to sound repetitive but I want to talk about pacing, again. I have new data…
Keep it clean

It’s reasonable, I suppose, to assume open water swimmers prefer to practise their sport in clean water. Nobody really likes…
H2Open celebrates five years – with a pool party!

It might seem slightly ironic for a magazine that promotes open water swimming that we decided to celebrate five years…
Don’t talk open water swimming down

This weekend we had a stand at Swim Expo in Manchester. We like events as they’re great places to talk…
Don’t follow your dreams

I have a confession to make. For the past few months my swimming has been pretty much confined to the…
The first open water swim of the year

When you’ve spent the winter cosseted in warm indoor pools, your first open water swim of the year can be…
We need to change attitudes to swimming outside

The other day I was looking back at a Guardian article about open water swimming from last year (Different strokes:…
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…
Get the main things right before worrying about the details

If you’ve been swimming for a while, you’ll know there isn’t a secret formula to turn you from plodder to…
Where I’ll be swimming from 25 Feb to 1 March

On Thursday morning, 25 Feb, I will be getting up at a ridiculous time of day to travel across London…