For many swimmers, one of the best parts of summer is moving swim workouts out of the pool & into open water (OW). Taking a break from the tedious parts of pool swimming (constantly looking at the black line, dealing with lane-mates, having your “flow” interrupted by the wall) can be key to regaining your love of swimming. But…for some swimmers, OW presents very real & seemingly insurmountable challenges – panic, anxiety, discomfort & insecurity. If this is you, take heart! With a few tips YOU too can make your OW experience much more positive! Without further ado, here are my rec’s to overcome open water swim panic: a step-by-step guide!
Step #1: Safety First…NEVER EVER EVER Swim Alone
Yep, this one is for ALL swimmers REGARDLESS of your experience level. Water is not a human’s natural environment; our bodies are not built for living in it. Because we’re land animals, bad things can happen very quickly in water (a person can drown in as little as 40 sec). All it takes is a serious leg cramp, a misplaced breath that takes in more water than air, a heart issue or frankly, extreme fatigue & things can go very wrong. Add in the fact that a swimmer can easily end up farther away from the shore than intended due to crooked swimming technique, currents, waves and/or wind & you have a recipe for disaster. So, just don’t do it! Grab your best friend on a paddleboard, a kayak or as a fellow swimmer & keep a good look-out for each other!
Step #2: Do a Dryland Warm-Up
A great way to keep anxiety at bay is to warm up your body BEFORE getting into the cold water. If your internal body temp is higher, then the perceived temp of the water will also be higher (i.e., the water won’t feel as shockingly cold). Any kind of dryland routine will help – even a 10min easy run can make a difference! Try any combo of these:
- Jumping Jacks
- Arm Circles / Swings
- High Knees
- Push-Ups (knees or full)
- Squats / Lunges
Step #3: Acclimatize Slowly
One of the biggest mistakes new swimmers make when they get into colder water is to rush the process. Submersing into cold water too quickly can easily amp up anxiety responses due to changes in our breathing pattern (we tend to breathe much more shallowly mimicking hyperventilation), release of stress hormones like cortisol & noradrenaline & spiking of our heart rate & blood pressure. To offset these effects, give yourself the time to acclimatize slowly. Try this sequence:
- Walk into the water up to your waist & stand in a relaxed position.
- Focus on your breath by belly-breathing evenly & deeply. To Belly-Breathe: Push your stomach out as you breathe in & pull your stomach in as you breathe out. (This helps prevent hyperventilation.)
- When ready, sink down into the water to allow the water to come into your wetsuit (if using) & contact your chest. Stand back up & focus once again on belly-breathing. Do this a couple of times if needed.
- When ready, walk further into the water up to your chest & relax, focusing again on breathing calmly & deeply.
- Splash water onto your face & head & breathe. Repeat splashing water over your face/head until you feel relaxed & comfortable.
Step #4: Do 20 Breathing Bobs
Once you’ve gone through the above sequence, you should feel fairly calm & relaxed. Then when you are ready, do 20 Breathing Bobs. This is an EXCELLENT way to further warm up your body through an increase in breathing frequency. (Pro Tip: If you really want to work on improving your breath control, check out the Wim Hof Breathing Method. Great stuff!) Also, the breathing pattern used in Bobs very closely mimics the pattern we use in swimming…so it’s less of a shock to the system when you do start to swim.
Step #5: Just Float
Now that your body is well warmed up, it’s time to transition to the horizontal positions used in swimming. You can float on your stomach or on your back…either position works great (wetsuits make floating so much easier!!). As you float, breathe easily & regularly. (If you’re on your stomach, blow gentle bubbles by saying “oooooohhh” through your mouth or “hummmmmmm” through your nose. To breathe in, either gently lift your head or stand up.) As you float scan your body for tension. Check your face, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, hips, legs & try to release the tension…any amount. The goal is to relax & enjoy the buoyancy of your body in the water. Notice how little you have to do to stay afloat! Notice that the water is holding you up!
Step #6: It’s Time to Swim…Slowly!
At long last, it’s time to swim. But please don’t make the mistake of sprinting off! You’ve just encouraged all this great relaxation & calm in your body. Why ruin all that by starting out too fast?! Starting out slowly of the hardest skills to learn, yet one of the most important. If you can’t control your pace, you’re doomed…doomed to sprint yourself right into premature exhaustion. I encourage swimmers to use a rating system based on Levels 1 – 5.
- Level 1 = EASY, like strolling through the park
- Level 2 = Easy’ish, like walking quickly
- Level 3 = Moderate, like easy running
- Level 4 = Hard’ish, like running a race
- Level 5 = HARD, like sprinting
When you first start swimming, it should feel like Level 1-2. Yep, that easy, that relaxed, that sustainable. You should feel like you could do this all day long!
And there you have it, folks! My rec’s to overcome open water swim panic: a step-by-step guide! Give a try & let me know if these help to make your next OW swim more enjoyable.
Oh yes, if you need additional help with OW swimming, sign up for a Small Group OW Swim or a Private OW Swim Session! We’d love to see you out in the pond!
Happy Training!
Coach Michelle
For more info on Open Water Swimming, check out this article: