How to Overcome Your Fear of Open Water Swimming

Get Fast Podcast, Ep 180, with Gerard and Jordan Donnelly and Brenton Ford of Effortless Swimming

Start small and build up gradually. Brenton Ford's advice to swimmers who are afraid of open water is to begin with something as short as a 50 metre swim along the shore, with a coach or friend there for support, and add a little more each time. It takes time to get comfortable, and time to build the skills.

Gerard points out that anyone who has done an open water swim has had some anxiety, whether it's one percent or a hundred percent.

What if you're scared of sinking?

A common fear is being out of your depth with nothing to touch. Brenton's answer is simple: you will float, especially in a wetsuit. If you panic or feel uncomfortable in a race, roll onto your back, get your breath, and keep going. Some newer swimmers he has given this advice to needed only one or two races to realise they were fine.

Other ways to settle in:

• Swim out to a marker, then duck down and look at the bottom to see how deep it is.
• Remember that when you're relaxed, you swim better and float better.
• In a long swim, it's fine to break it into blocks and take a few seconds of breaststroke or backstroke. Brenton compares it to the walk-run approach many people use in a marathon.

He also passes on a tip from a surf coach: make a silly noise when you're nervous, because it's very hard to stay tense while you do it.

How do you get used to swimming close to other people?

Practise it in the pool. Brenton's squad does pack swimming with up to three swimmers across a lane, so they get used to bumps and the odd knock.

When others are close, adjust your stroke. You may not be able to stretch out as far, so a slightly wider or straighter arm recovery over the top of the water helps. It won't look pretty, and it doesn't need to. The aim is to keep your tempo and stay with the group.

Is drafting worth it?

Yes. Brenton says sitting directly behind someone can save up to 30% of your energy if you do it well. He prefers drafting off the feet to the hip.

• Follow the bubbles from their kick. You can feel them on your hands, and you only need to look forward a little to check.
• Try not to hit their feet.
• If you trust the swimmer in front to swim straight, you can keep your head down and look up only every 30 strokes or so.

He also notices that timid swimmers often stay wide and miss the feet and the pack. Once you have some experience, he suggests deciding you'll put yourself in the group. Most people aren't trying to swim over the top of you.

Where should you start in a race?

Brenton suggests seeding yourself slightly further forward than you think you belong. Gerard prefers to be passed rather than be the one passing, because running into the back of people means looking up, changing direction and breaking your rhythm. His advice is to start at your level or fractionally above.

How do you cope with rough water?

Everyone in the race has the same conditions, and there are lifeguards and kayaks around if you need to stop and hang on. Brenton's adjustments for chop:

• Breathe more often, even every stroke for a while if you keep missing breaths.
• Use a more uneven, one-sided rhythm to punch through the waves.
• If you take in water, stop, cough it up, get your breath and go again. Nobody is watching.

How should your stroke change in open water?

In a calm lake, your technique can stay much the same as in the pool. With chop or a wetsuit:

• Bring the arm over a little higher, wider and faster, with the hand higher than the elbow, and just get it in the water.
• Start the catch a little sooner, so there's no dead spot for the waves to throw you around.
• Expect to kick less in a wetsuit at steady effort.

How often should you sight?

If it's choppy and there's no one to follow, Brenton sights every five to nine strokes. If he's on a good line, it could be 20 strokes or more. Swimming straight matters: swim 10% too far in an Ironman and that's an extra 380 metres.

Practise sighting at speed in the pool, so lifting your head barely changes your rhythm. Lifting the chest, using the hand out front, and a little more kick all help.

What should you practise before race day?

• Wear your wetsuit in the pool for a few weeks if you can't get to open water. A new wetsuit worn for the first time on race day can feel tight across the chest.
• Use the equipment you'll race in. Brenton once raced in new goggles that didn't seal and could only see out of one eye.
• If your race has a deep-water start, practise staying horizontal, sculling with a light kick, and starting from there.
• Treat the swim as one leg of a triathlon. Brenton pushed the swim too hard in his own Ironman and paid for it on the bike and run.

Related

• How we coach triathletes
• How we coach Ironman athletes
• Coaching questions, answered
• About Jordan Donnelly