Why You Should Swim in the Ocean
By Peter Scott
I was standing on the beach for the 2007 Vancouver Olympic distance triathlon at Second Beach on scenic English Bay. To my left, a pack of triathletes huddled together in the cool morning air. Their collective body language, facial expressions, and exchanged words all conveyed a single, overriding message.
We can’t wait until the swim is over!
Most of the people I meet through our Sea Hiker courses and coaching, especially novice and intermediate triathletes, do not swim in the ocean. Nor do they swim in lakes very often, either, although lake swimming is on the rise in triathlon clubs.
It is no surprise to me then that most swimmers in a triathlon are just trying to get through the swim and really struggle. Inefficient technique is a big part of the problem, but so is a lack of open water experience.
A quick personal survey will illustrate this point. How many hours of running and cycling have you done in the past year? Now, how many hours of lake or ocean swimming have you done? Is it more than five percent? Okay, add your pool swimming hours into the equation but divide it by two. Why? Because a pool is in no way like open water.
Imagine you trained on indoor bike rollers for hours and hours and then only went bike riding outside once or twice before a triathlon. There is no question that bike traffic, changing landscapes, steep hills, the spectators, head winds, equipment malfunctions, the hot sun, and any number of other variables could present significant challenges. No triathlete would dream of training without training outside.
But we’re all human and fear of the unknown and uncertainty can naturally lead to procrastination. If you are not sure how to swim safely in the ocean, chances are you will be less inclined to give it a shot. It is difficult to stay relaxed and play with your technique.
And so it feels like a chore, one that might not get taken care of until the official warm-up on race day.
On the other hand, if you approach swimming in a way that gives you valuable real-world water experiences, you can turn that chore into an asset that will definitely lead to faster race times and a more enjoyable triathlon experience.
Why not lake swimming?
I recommend safe ocean swim practices over lake swims for the simple reason that the ocean is unpredictable. If you spend enough time in it, you will develop an ability to adjust on the fly to whatever it throws at you.
But let me qualify that further. If you are trying to develop comfort and confidence in open water, you should spend your time getting familiar with your surroundings and how you react to them without the pressure of having to swim a given distance in a certain time.
The same goes for anxiety. If swimming in crowds or swimming out to sea freaks you out, then start with one or two friends swimming parallel to shore. This will give you time to work on an awareness of all the extra variables of open water swimming at your own pace.
Confidence in deep water
A common story we hear with people making the transition from pool to open water is the fear of deep water. It is something you can get over with a combination of technique improvement and a thorough knowledge of how to develop comfort beyond the pool. Spending more and more time in the ocean is a great way to develop that confidence, especially with the guidance of a coach.
A key step to take in your ocean journey is to experiment with floating on your back in your wetsuit. Not only is it far easier to breathe when lying on your back, and way less effort than treading water, you can more easily deal with a cramp, disorientation, or being out of breath. This is your back up plan. Floating on your back is a wonderful feeling to explore and an important safety technique. Be sure to try it out.
Wobble Board Swimming
In our Sea Hiker open water courses, we make the point that ocean swimming is similar to doing regular gym exercises on a wobble board. Suddenly, your perfect balance feels off, you can’t tell how fast you are moving and whether you are going in a straight line.
Some triathletes experience a feeling of disorientation, confusion, tension and even seasickness in open water. This is normal and it doesn’t take long to overcome. There are a few technique adjustments (see below) that will help you adjust more quickly.
Gear check
Swimming in a triathlon suit inevitably requires modifications to your swimming technique. Most people find swimming in a wetsuit easier over all, but you may find rotations more difficult and it easier to lose balance, especially in rougher conditions.
It is also a good way to see if your suit is fitting you right. You should be able to take a full breath with ease. If you can’t breathe easily or feel constricted, exchange your suit for a size larger or a different model. Comfortable breathing is essential in open water and any restriction can lead to panic and poor performance.
Key Exercises for Open Water Swimming
There’s no substitute for a guided introduction to ocean swimming, but here are some specific things that you can practice in your ocean swims, whether you are swimming out to a buoy with a small group or swimming parallel to shore in chest deep water under the watchful supervision of a lifeguard.
Swim wide style
A simple solution to a loss of balance and stability in ocean swimming is to drive your hand forward on each stroke much wider than you might normally do. Aim to have your elbow stay wide of your body during the recovery and for your hand to enter the water and extend wide of your shoulder. Think of two lines or tracks coming out of your shoulders and aim to extend you arm slightly outside of those tracks.
What this does is bring much needed stability to your stroke, especially during the breath, allowing you to glide more easily and save energy.
Close your eyes
Try swimming 10 strokes with your eyes closed. Focus on your feeling of buoyancy, movement through chop, prolonging the glide phase of your stroke, and the ease at which you find air when you turn to breathe. Strive to feel as if you are falling asleep while swimming with eyes closed. This is a powerful technique for developing confidence in deep water.
It also helps give you some indication of how even your stroke is. See if you can swim in a straight line for 20 or 30 strokes. You will also develop a sense for telling if you are swimming in a tidal or wind current and can practice making minute stroke adjustments to stay on a straight path. Remember that the more you can swim in a straight line, the less you will need to sight, which saves you energy and allows you to focus on your swimming.
Swim in all conditions
Pick a relatively safe place to swim parallel to shore (in Vancouver, Jericho Beach or Kits Beach are good spots). Make a habit of going as often as possible, especially on a rainy or colder day. Start with a really comfortable swim of 250-500m along the shoreline and build your distance while staying relaxed. This is an easy and safe way to extend your comfort zone without swimming further away from shore and supervision.
When you can stay focused and relaxed, even in chop, drizzle and cooler temperatures, you’ll be better prepared for your race.
Throw away your watch
Okay, I’m just kidding. However, to fully enjoy being and to develop your fluency with open water swimming, don’t distract yourself with timing, at least not for the first few sessions you do.
Stop now and then and look around you. Enjoy the view. Do some sightseeing. Swimming in open water is an art. Save your watch for the pool.
Listen to the water
I’m speaking figuratively but in practice, this means skimming the water with your fingertips for most of the recovery phase. This keeps you in direct contact with what the surface conditions are throwing at you and does not slow you down.
When I’m swimming in chop or disturbed seas, lightly skimming the surface with a relaxed recovering hand gives me a better sense of when to breathe, sight on the crest of a wave or adjust my stroke rhythm so that I'm not fighting the water. There’s a rhythm and energy in the water that changes every day, even by the minute, and you need a way to sense it and adjust your stroke accordingly.
One of the most exciting things for us coaching with Sea Hiker is seeing the transition from a pool swimmer to a confident ocean and lake swimmer.
The best thing you can do to be at home in the water is to take gradual steps in the ocean with other swimmers and triathletes. It's fun and will give you so much more confidence for your triathlon swims.
If you approach ocean swimming with a feeling of adventure and curiosity, you will become a much better swimmer and have more mental space for improving your efficiency.
Even more rewarding is getting to enjoy breathtaking sights and rhythms of Planet Ocean. See you on the water!
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Peter Scott is a coach and founder of Sea Hiker Adventures (www.seahiker.com). Sea Hiker offers swim efficiency, water confidence, open water swimming courses at Jericho Beach, and several other programs in the Lower Mainland and BC, with a focus on tailored instruction for triathletes and swimmers of all abilities. Call 604-873-5281 or email info@seahiker.com for more information.