What you need to know if you’re considering open water swimming…
Sadly, there has been a rise in open water swimming incidents in the UK this year, many resulting in injury and some resulting in fatalities, particularly amongst young people.
At Beyond Swim, our sole mission is to ensure everyone has access to safe open water swimming venues and safety knowledge.
We want people from all walks of life to be able to experience the utter joy that open water swimming can bring, and we actively encourage participation with like-minded enthusiasts at one of our quality venues.
And we want you to have a whole lot of fun while doing it!
But if open water swimming is so safe and enjoyable, why have there been reports that it’s not?
Well, swimming in UNMANNED open bodies of water is not always safe.
And there are several reasons for this.
Now we can almost guarantee that an alligator isn’t going to have a little nibble at your toes here in the UK, but if you’re reading this and you’re in a place like Florida, then it’s probably best to stay clear of most open water if you like your toes. Anyway!
The thing about open water swimming is that, like most things in this world, its safety relies on several conditions. Some are entirely in the control of the human carrying out the activity, and some conditions have a mind of their own.
Suppose you consider yourself a bit of a Dr Julie Bradshaw or Michael Phelps and fancy taking a dip in your local lake or showing off skills on the coast – all things are possible when done right.
To help you achieve your swimming goals safely, we’ve compiled a series of blogs to help you assess the hazards of each type of open body of water.
Most of these tips are useful for almost all swimming conditions, but it’s important to note that there are also vast differences depending on the sort of open water swimming you’re partaking in.
To kick the show off, we’ve aptly named our blog series:
“Check Out That Incredible Body…of Water’s Safety Tips”
In this series, we will cover:
- Coastal Swimming
- Lake Swimming
- River Swimming
- Reservoir Swimming
We respect that people like to make their own choices and won’t always choose to use an accredited facility where professionals, lifeguards, and coaches are on hand to keep you out of danger.
(We mean, if you’re not hanging out with us at Beyond Swim, then you are totally missing out, but we’re sure you’ll be joining the fun in no time!)
But you can always make good safety choices.
Our mission is to educate swimming enthusiasts as much as possible.
We never want to create fear, only help you learn.
We want you to understand how immensely fulfilling open-water swimming can be, but we care about your safety and wellbeing above all else.
So, clip on your tow floats because we have a boat-load of safety tips for open-water swimming!
Dive into our first blog: “Check Out That Incredible Body…of Coastal Water’s Safety Tips”
(We also love a water-related pun)
🦩 Flan Fact of the Day:
Like me, the human body is a brilliant floatation device that can keep you safe if you’re in trouble. Learning to adopt the floating position should be at the top of your list before attempting any kind of swimming. Here’s how you do it!