I swim outside as often as I get a chance to do so ... in a small lake close to my place, in a large lake when I am on vacation inland, in the ocean when I am on vacation at shore. It is less efficient training but so much more enjoyable having a different view but just looking at the bottom of a pool ;-)

Well, about the sun: Go early hours at sunrise or late just before sunset.
Safety: Bright color swim cap and opt for a buoy. Well, I never was in water where sharks are around, so I do not know how critical that can be.

So, as soon as I get close to open water, I pack trunks, goggles and a cap...

I wouldn't swim alone in open water. Or if the water were heavily polluted.
Otherwise, I'd favour it over pool swimming and see any risks as acceptable.
Having said that, I'm inclined to think open water swimming is typically more dangerous than riding (both being highly dependent on circumstances, and your scoring criteria of course).

there is a place in houston, a sand pit turned swimming hole, that ive been to a few times that i really love, but its nearly 2 hours away.


i have essentially nowhere to swim outside local to me, and its a horrible pain to drive to the closest pool. so, i bought a vasa. i know it isnt going to help my technique but since ive purchased it and used it regularly (driven by my training plan) i KNOW my swim endurance and strength has increased greatly.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

Call me stupid, but I swim at a beach known for its shark attacks (albeit the last one in mid-90s). I also swim outside the shark net to avoid the other swimmers.

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My race site: https://racesandplaces.wixsite.com/racesandplaces

I swim 30ft from the shore in 6ft of water. In the UK where there is nothing with teeth in the water. I'm happy like that. I need a crowd around me to venture further out...

In my youth i'd regularly surf in sharky waters but i somehow felt safe sat on my board.

I thought this thread was a joke

I wish I could swim outside. Being stuck in the office all day, only to swim bike and run inside for months on end sounds like a nightmare. I need to be outdoors, and am jealous of everyone who has the ability to and chooses not to...

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Gone with the wind

Instagram: palmtreestriathlon

Same. I have no fear of open water, in fact I would rather swim in OW than a pool, but my life and my location make it very difficult, if not nearly impossible.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I'm the opposite- I've virtually stopped indoor swimming at present.
I accept I'd have better 'quality' training in a pool.
But outdoors is so much more enjoyable- and that's why we do Tri, right ?
Its also a lot better for my head- OW always puts me in a better frame of mind than when I got in. Every time.
I think it also helps when the conditions deteriorate- I'm totally comfortable and can adapt when the wind and waves get up, rather than being stressed at the lack of lane markers and flat still water.

Obvs tho I don't have many shark worries where I live (tho I'd still be more concerned about people with guns as they pose a FAR bigger risk than sharks in SA or USA etc) . And I defo don't swim alone. An old white water kayaking addage of 'less than three there shall never be' is a good rule of thumb.

Our outdoor swimming season is so short, I take advantage of it while I can. Luckily there's a good lake about 5 minutes from my house that is never closed (lots of others are closed in the summer for high bacteria counts). Swimming with the tri club there once per week after work, so sun exposure and sharks aren't issues.

Locally, we're tracking several tagged great whites. The ones I know of are named Pumpkin, Hilton, Hal, Nova, Luna, Jane and Cabot. They like to hang out with the seals off Sable Island.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

27 people have drowned in Lake Michigan this year. That is more than the annual average of cyclist killed in Michigan. If we were being rational, swimming danger threads would outnumber cycling danger threads.

I swim outdoors any chance I get, which isn't as much as I would like.

I'll swim alone in places I know to be safe. Since I have a place near Lake Placid, I regularly swim in Mirror Lake alone, but that almost doesn't count since so many people are always using the lake for some purpose, and the cable line makes it simple.

A couple of these just happened near me, because people ignored beach flags and swam in dangerous conditions and did not know what to do when they got in trouble. Don't ride a bike on the highway, don't swim when there's rip currents

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Gone with the wind

Instagram: palmtreestriathlon

We have a pretty nice swim hole at the lake that doesn't have motorized boat traffic at that particular part of the lake. We start at the beginning of Feb (we have very early season "A" races in Clermont FL draft legal races), but because of hot water and bacteria level issues, we stop swimming anytime the water is above 82*. The US Army Corp of Engineers has all the lake data on it's website, so I just used their numbers as a guide. Usually means by mid June, we don't swim there anymore, but we just add in some ows stuff in the pool (I coach a master's swim that we can take out lane lines).

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

you guys swim in Jordan in February???

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Yes anyone doing Clermont we go out there. It’s about 55* but with a wetsuit it’s manageable. But we aren’t in there for 90 mins, more like 30-40 mins working on specific open water skills.

Clermont is so early in the season and a national level event and because for many it’s the 1st race of year and also a high level “A” race. So I make them ready and that’s one of the things we must do.

Clermont also is *usually* wetsuit legal for the edr athletes.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Outdoor at every ( warm enough) opportunity.
Much more pleasant than eyeing the lanes at the local pool to decide on swimming compatibility. I swim alone, ( sometimes with a loon or two) along the shore, bright cap and swim float for visibility. Feels much safer than cycling in terms of risk. Fresh water so no dangerous wildlife. Like Jason, I have a short outdoor season and try to make the best of it.

I have a nice 200m dock to dock course laid out behind my house. The water is deep, very little boat traffic and relatively clean except when we get a lot of rain (like last night). I've encountered manatees, mullet and minnows but never anything toothier than that. I ignore the picture of the bull shark that was caught about 6 miles from here. So that is my convenient go-to OWS venue but I also make the drive to the beach where you can swim parallel to the shore for miles if you want to. Our local Tri Club has a standing Wednesday evening swim that is fun to do but in the summer it gets shut down by thunderstorms occasionally. My pool swimming is down to only when necessary.

I've never been on a competitive swim team, always just me and the ocean. I'd like to do some OWS only events in the future, there are some 2-7 mile events that I could do locally if I made the effort.

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"They know f_ck-all over at Slowtwitch"
- Lionel Sanders

I don't think you are overly cautious if you are seeing spots on your back! That said, do you wear a swim shirt? I swim in the lake (0.8 mile run from my house) as often as I can during the summer because I spend the majority of the year (late-Fall/Winter/early-Spring) looking at a black line! I prefer to swim early morning along the levee before the boats come out. That said, in July we replace our morning swims with early morning wakeboard/waterski sessions :-).

This thread has been a little more motivating than I thought it would be.

I do have a sleeveless body hugging top that I could wear. Do use a bright swim cap. Swimming early or swimming late is generally when the sharks feed; yet, probably over blowing that concern. Wouldn't mind having someone to swim with; yet, swimming with someone else could take it from a daily swim to a weekly event.

Guess there's no good reason not to swim in Lake Lanier as there are no sharks and there is a half mile island loop to swim around which gives a swimmer a goal and a swim to option.

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Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.

lol this thread didn't go where I thought it was going. I swim exclusively outdoors, but in a 50m pool. Can't stand the thought of being cramped up in an indoor pool, they feel claustrophobic. Ocean is only 2 miles away but outside of racing and the odd surf entry practice, rarely swim in it.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

I live on a river, so technically have no excuse not to OWS all the time in the summer. However, I've been seriously sick a couple of times from dodgy water... couldn't pinpoint exactly which bodies of water were the offending ones (the river, our downtown 'lake', Old Montreal port, Toronto harbour, Rotterdam shipping channel... you get the idea) but we've had terrible flooding around here twice in the last 3 years, which means people's septic beds failing, contents of sheds (fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline, you name it) emptying into the water, etc etc. Downriver, we've had multiple significant fish die-offs this year that were linked to some kind of toxic spillage. I've cut back the amount of OWS I do, mostly for those reasons. I don't want to get sick. I don't want to start glowing or sprout another limb. If I'm slow for lack of swim training (because I don't make time to drive into town to go to a pool) so be it.

This thread just reminded me to order a "SwimIT".

I'd like to do more OWS this summer (we spend the month of August on our Island home which doesn't have a lap pool), but I have always been reluctant to do much swimming because I swim alone. My wife always watches me from the beach "so she can call 911 if something happens", but I never had the heart to tell her I'm not sure what that would accomplish.....

I'm excited to test this thing out over the next couple weeks. They're on sale for like $80 right now. Seems worth it for peace of mind.

https://theswimit.com/

Once or twice a week in the ocean May - November. Joined T26 this year and have been swimming with them in two locations

Swim in So Cal. We have great whites-saw one last June, which swimming alone.... and there are a few other regular sitings as well - they are generally of the juvenile variety - still 6 ish feet long- and don't bother people.

Ocean swims are early, typically between 6 am and 7:30, so sun exposure not a real concern there

I am in the "try not to swim inside boat" (no pun intended)
We just bought a house on a lake, so trying to swim in it every chance I get (which due to remodeling said house is not as much as I want this summer)
I do have an irrational fear that the eagle who lives in our neighbors tree is going to attack me. And if someone is a bird expert please let me know if that is in fact a rational fear.
I also used Google earth to find 2 docks near us that are 50 meters apart, then made friends with the homeowners, BOOM instant out door pool swims.