When I first started open water swimming, I didn't have a clue about kit. I had only ever swam at the beach during holidays. Then it was just throw on your swimsuit and have a towel handy! When I look now at how much "gear" I've got, I do wonder where all that simplicity went?
It became more complicated when I decided that this was my niche in life. This helped me feel good about myself, kept me fit, blew the cobwebs from my mind. I can't ever remember getting out of the water in a bad mood, although several times I entered the water that way!
So what was I spending my hard earned money on? How could I justify the spend? Firstly if you stick to the sea, rivers, and occasionally lakes they tend to be free. You don't have that person at the cash register charging you £4 for a swim session which now because of Covid only lasts 45 minutes. Instead you can step into the sea and know that you aren't paying for the top up of chlorine, the hot shower or the lane ropes. You are getting in for nothing and taking away a wealth of happiness and fitness.
I carry a huge bag to the beach and it contains all my gear! First things first. As always, this is safety. You must keep yourself safe and that does require some kit. At the very minimum I would recommend a pair of shoes and a bright hat! The shoes because you just don't know what is underneath the water! We are not talking sharks and fish here, we are talking about broken glass, shattered rocks and the occasional shopping trolley. Water spots sometimes tend to become dumping grounds by some mindless people. So shoes will help you protect your feet. Also a pebble beach is not the best thing to be walking on in bare feet. There is a kind of dance that goes on as you try to negotiate your way in and out of the water at the pebble beach. So shoes are a must.! The bright hat is so you are visible. Visible to people on land and to other water users. There may be kayaks, surfers, jet skiers and even speed boats. All of these people may not see you without a hat! To be safe, you must be visible.
The biggest most expensive item on your list may well be a wetsuit. I'm not going to go into the type of wetsuit you should have, but it is a consideration if you feel the cold. The wetsuit has got other advantages too, but firstly lets look at the warmth it provides. So many people find themselves in trouble by getting cold (See here) and a wetsuit will help you to stay in the water longer, particularly if you want to swim throughout the year. A swimming wetsuit will have thicker neoprene around the core and thinner neoprene around the shoulders to allow for movement of the arms. This will keep your core warm. When in cold water, your body automatically takes the warmth from your arms, legs, hands and feet and transfers it to the core to keep your vital organs going. This means that even with a wetsuit you could end up with cold hands and feet, but never fear, there are neoprene gloves you can buy and also socks. They don't need to be expensive, I bought mine from Amazon and eBay. For your head you can buy a neoprene hat, which you can wear under your brightly coloured one, so you are still visible. A wetsuit will also give you added buoyancy. This helps if you get tired, just turn over on your back and float. Swimming in a wetsuit, can cause wetsuit rub, which is as bad as it sounds! If you're stroke isn't perfect and lets face it, how many of us have the perfect stroke, or even just the fit of the wetsuit, you could end up with your neck rubbed raw, particularly if you are doing a long swim. To counteract this you will need to lube your neck up. There are lots of remedies available on the market, such as body glide but I have always ended up using good old coconut oil. For tips on wetsuits go here.
Now we have looked at keeping you warm and keeping you visible. Another safety tool is a tow float. you may have seen these brightly coloured floats being towed along by the swimmer. These are definitely advised for swimming at beaches and large areas, where there are lots of other water users, like boats and surfers. They will make you even more visible and although they are not a life preserver, if you get tired you can hold onto one while your tread water. They also usually have a dry chamber where you can keep a drink, or even your phone, although for your phone I would recommend you buy a waterproof phone case designed to keep a phone in. A local chandlers or the RNLI will probably have some for sale. Place your phone inside the case before placing in the tow float for added protection
Of course you will need your swimsuit and goggles. For open water swimming, it is advisable to have tinted goggles or mirrored goggles to protect your eyes from the rays and glare of the sun. Use sunscreen for your face and other areas if you are not wearing a wetsuit.
So far we have thought about the following:
Wetsuit
Goggles
Brightly coloured hat
Tow float
Neoprene hats, gloves and socks
Shoes
Waterproof phone case
Coconut Oil
Sunscreen
I think those are the main things, so now lets have a look at what happens when you get out of the water. You will need to start the warm up process and again, there is kit you can buy to help in this.
First as soon as you get out of the water and remove your hat, replace it with a woolly one. Unless of course you are in the tropics or we are having a heatwave here in the UK! The hat is for those chillier days when you are feeling the cold!
Next there's the "shall I, shan't I?" purchase of a Dryrobe or something similar. I never used to wear a Dryrobe. I thought they looked like dirty old raincoats, but actually I have now been converted as I bought one to aid my open water coaching. Periods in between coaching sessions can make me cold, so I relented and bought one. Now of course, I wish I had bought one earlier! They aren't a necessity if your budget cannot stretch to buying one, but please make sure you have plenty of warm layers to put on once you are out of the water!
I always recommend that you have some wet wipes, to clean your hands and face, especially before drinking and eating. Whilst the sea tends to be clean, some rivers and lakes are not and carry bugs which you could end up ingesting through hand to mouth.
A flask with a hot drink in, is as important as the warm layers. So please have it ready to pour and drink. It will start the process of warming up from the inside too. Another tip is to take a hot water bottle, layer it into your clothes whilst swimming and then once dressed hug it! It works, honest!
Finally, eat cake.
Now we can add to the list above, the following:
Woolly hat
Dryrobe or similar
Hot Water Bottle
Wet wipes
Flask
Cake
We now have a shop on our website as we have become Official Stockist for Two Bare Feet and Swim Secure. Always have a look to see what we have in stock and if you are looking for something in particular, let us know. Sometimes we can source these for you at very competitive prices. Our shop is here: SHOP
Happy Swimming :)
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