Top Tips for Your First Lake Swim

Posted 03/04/2023 by Jenny Lucas-Hill

Open water swimming has really taken off in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. Nothing says ‘freedom’ like spending time in the open water, being out in nature and feeling the sun on your back. When the weather is nice (and the water temperature has risen) a sunrise dip in the lake really is the best way to start the day.

But swimming in a lake is a very different beast to swimming in the pool, and when you first give it a go it can feel a bit scary. If you’re considering giving open water swimming a go, but you’re not sure how to dip a toe in the water read our top tips for your first lake swim and get ready to unleash your inner amphibian!

Top tips for your first lake swim 

Before your swim

Swim with a friend or group

If you’re feeling a bit nervous, it’s always great to have someone there to reassure you and crack a silly joke to put you at ease. Time to find a swim buddy! If none of your friends or family share your desire to spend Sunday mornings making friends with the fish, check out your local tri club or wild swimming group. Your local open water swimming venue may also run specific group sessions or intro sessions so it’s worth taking a look. Swimming on your own is not only lonely, but it can be dangerous if you get into trouble so it’s always good to have a swim buddy so you can look out for each other.

Wear a wetsuit – and make sure you put it on properly

Wearing a wetsuit might feel a bit strange and unfamiliar if you’ve only ever swum in the pool, but the neoprene will help to make you more buoyant and provide some extra protection against the colder lake water, so we’d definitely recommend wearing one. You don’t need to go out and spend a fortune for your first wetsuit – there are plenty of great entry-level options out there and a lot of open water swim venues also offer a hire service so you can give open water swimming a go without too much of a commitment. Really take your time to put your wetsuit on – wrestling with neoprene is never fun, so take a deep breath and get ready to do the wetsuit jiggle*. Make sure to use the pads of your fingertips rather than your nails, to avoid putting any cuts in the neoprene and start by slowly working the wetsuit up your legs. Get the crotch area nice and er… snug, and then pull the wetsuit up over your torso and get your arms into the sleeves. Repeat the process, taking hold of small sections of the material and working it up your arms. You want to make sure the wetsuit is sitting close to your armpits and not stretching across your shoulders with excess materials at the wrist. This will give you better freedom of movement and help to reduce shoulder fatigue once you get into the water. Once you’re in, ask a friend (or a cheerful-looking fellow swimmer) to help zip it up and get the Velcro fastening sitting neatly so it won’t chomp at the back of your neck while you’re swimming.

Top tip: wetsuit “lube” such as Bodyglide or Huub’s aptly named ‘Luub‘ are great for avoiding wetsuit chafe. Pop some on the back and sides of your neck. You can also put a little bit on your wrists and ankles which will make it easier to slide your wetsuit off post-swim.

*the comedy “putting on a wetsuit” dance you’ll see every swimmer and triathlete doing at the side of the lake before a swim as they wriggle into their wetsuit! 

Get your bearings and take note of any hazards in the water

Ready to get in? Take a moment to get your bearings and observe the lake from dry land. Take note of any buoys to swim towards, if there’s a specific direction you need to swim in, any hazards in the water and where your entry and exit points are. This is particularly important if you’re swimming somewhere which doesn’t have a lifeguard or infrastructure in place. Respect the water and if in doubt, play it safe!

Use a tow float and wear a brightly coloured swim cap

Finally, before you get in the water it’s worth considering using a tow float. Some open water venues will insist on this (along with a brightly coloured swim cap) for safety reasons. A tow float looks a bit like an inflatable bubble, which is attached to a cord that you fasten around your waist. It’ll bob gently along behind you while you swim, keeping you visible for other swimmers or lake users (for example paddle boarders). You can also use it to hold on to if you need to take a rest or stretch out a cramp halfway round a lap of the lake.

During your swim

Get in at your own pace and acclimatise

When it’s time to get in the water, don’t feel pressured to dive in and crack on. It’s absolutely fine to take things at your own pace, get in slowly and give your body and mind a chance to acclimatise to the water. Particularly if the water is cold, you may find that your body’s natural instinct is to feel slightly panicked and gasp for breath. Just take a second to tread water or gently do some breast-stroke and focus on steadying your breathing to keep calm.

Something that a lot of people struggle with when they first start open water swimming is putting their head under water. It makes sense – we’re land lubbers by nature after all, so it’s no wonder we feel a bit put off by sticking our faces into murky water! A good way to calm your breathing and help you to relax into having your face in the water is to start by focusing on just gently bobbing your head under and blowing a few bubbles out of your nose before coming back up to breathe. It sounds simple, but it’s amazing how quickly this calms you down.

Swim within your comfort zone

Swimming in open water can feel like harder work than swimming in the pool for a number of reasons. First up – you’re not going to be turning at the wall every 25m getting the ‘micro break’ and the benefit of pushing off. It’s continuous swimming, with the added resistance of the wetsuit so you may find your shoulders start to feel tired a bit sooner than in the pool. You’re also out in the elements which means you might have blustery wind and choppy water to contend with. Ever been in the pool when the aqua-aerobics are on or the insanely fast junior swimmers are doing sprint drills? Yep. You know.

For these first few lake swims, swim well within your comfort zone. Leave your ego in the car (along with your flask of post-swim hot chocolate!) and just relax, take it easy and enjoy being in the water. It’s far better to swim a bit slower and enjoy it, than to overcook it and have to doggy paddle back to shore because you’re out of puff halfway round.

Accept that you’re going to see some wildlife

When you’re used to swimming in the pool the thought of fish and other monsters (there’s no monsters) lurking below the surface of the lake can freak you out. Which is completely understandable! But as off-putting as the thought of wildlife and lake weeds might be, it’s very unlikely they’re going to do you any harm – so don’t let that Jaws theme tune start playing in your head! Seeing wildlife might be disconcerting, but it’s better than the manky used plasters and clumps of hair you’ll see floating around in your local pool, right?

Respect the water, respect the wildlife and you’ll be just fine. Obviously if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere exotic and there’s creatures out there that genuinely could be a real danger, pay attention to the signage and anything the lifeguards tell you.

Don’t forget to sight

Sighting simply means to take a glance up at your surroundings during your swim stroke to make sure you’re swimming in the right direction still (it’s amazing how easy it is to go off course in open water!) and check for any hazards or other swimmers you need to manoeuvre around.

Global Triathlon Network have a great video on how to sight efficiently so it won’t interrupt your stroke too much. You can also practice sighting in the pool to get used to it before you hit the open water, so it feels more natural.

Be prepared for the elements

If it’s a windy day you might experience some chop in the water, or if the sun is shining it might make visibility difficult to one side. Open water is less predictable than swimming in the pool so just be prepared for the elements. If you swim front crawl and you’re a single-sided breather, you may have to take a few breaths to the opposite side to avoid being dazzled by the sun or getting a mouthful of water. It’s all part of the fun and you’ll soon get used to it. Along with practicing your sighting in the pool, another great pool-based drill to prepare you for open water swimming is the Left, Right, Three, Five drill. This is a 4-length repeat using front crawl: you’ll swim the first length breathing exclusively to the left, every two (or four) strokes. The second length breathing only to the right – again, every two or four strokes. Then you’ll perform the third length breathing bilaterally – this means alternating which side you breathe to every three strokes. Three strokes, breathe to the left – three strokes, breathe to the right. The final length is where it gets a bit tough as you’ll most likely be taking fewer breaths per length than you’re used to – here you’re going to breathe every five strokes – again alternating which side you breathe to. This drill is great to perform in the pool as it’ll help you to become more comfortable with breathing to both sides, and it also prepares you for that slightly “oxygen-starved” feeling of taking fewer breaths, which is good practice for if you miss a breath in the open water because of a wave.

Get out of the water feeling like you could have done more 

Don’t be tempted to push yourself too hard during these first few lake swims. It’s far better to get out a little earlier, feeling like you could have carried on, than to over do it and get into trouble. Particularly if the water is cold, you can go from feeling fine to struggling pretty quickly. Swim within your comfort zone, build up your time/distance gradually and always get out before you feel like you really need to get out.

After your swim

It’s all about the après-swim!

Après-swim is the new après-ski. Wrapping up warm with a bobble hat on your head and a flask of something warm in your hand. Catching up with your swim buddies and laughing at each other’s goggle marks over a slice of something delicious from the nearby café. The only thing better than the swim, is the après-swim!

Get changed and get warm quickly

You’ve made it round your first lake swim. You didn’t encounter the Loch Ness monster and despite your initial misgivings, it was actually quite good fun. These outdoor swimmers might be on to something here…

Once you’re out of the water, resist the temptation to hang around and just get yourself changed as soon as possible. The sooner you take your wetsuit off, the easier it is – once it starts to dry you suddenly need Houdini-level skills to escape! You’ll often find that you feel the effects of the cold a lot more once you’re out of the water so it’s important to get out of your wet kit and get dry as soon as possible. This is where a Stolen Goat Change Thingy is your new best friend. It’s essentially your own mobile changing room. Avoid pulling a Full Monty (or accidentally mooning your fellow swimmers at an uncivilised hour on a Sunday morning!) and get changed underneath it. It’s also fast-drying and super cosy, so it’s perfect for getting warm after a swim.

The post-swim hot chocolate is an unwritten law

A post-swim hot chocolate is an essential! It’ll help to warm you up, it replenishes your energy stores, and knowing it’s there waiting for you is the best motivation to crack on with your swim. Trust us on this one. When you’re sat by the lake with a hot chocolate in hand and the satisfying ache of a good swim in your shoulders, the world feels just a little bit lighter, even if just for a minute or two.

Rinse your wetsuit when you get home

Rinsing your wetsuit and hanging it up to dry properly is one of those tasks that future you will be eternally grateful for. Lake water can be a bit stinky and there’s nothing worse than having to put a damp, smelly wetsuit on when it’s time for your next swim. Not only will giving your wetsuit a rinse help to prolong its lifespan, it’s also important if you’re swimming at different open water venues to avoid any cross-species contamination. Rinse it off with cold water in the bath or shower and then use a wide clothes hanger to hang it up (never use clothes pegs – they’ll damage the neoprene) so it’ll be ready for your next swim.

A beginner’s guide to open water swimming: Quick fire dos and don’ts

Do:

Wear a wetsuit – it’ll keep you warmer and it makes you more buoyant.
Be aware of your surroundings and take note of any hazards or safety signs.
Swim with a friend or teammate.
Be safe, sensible and responsible – check out the Outdoor Swimming Society Swimmer’s Code for guidance.
Relax, enjoy the water and make the most of being in the great outdoors!

Don’t:

Swim in bodies of water which are not safe, clean or where it’s not legal to do so.
Be afraid to go at your own pace and take time to acclimatise to the water.
Push yourself to swim too far or too fast.
Stay in the water longer than you’re comfortable to do so.
Take ages before you get changed post-swim – get warm and get that hot chocolate in your hand!
Forget to smile, enjoy the moment and soak up the freedom that comes with swimming outdoors.

Whether you’re training for a triathlon or just looking to try something different – the benefits to your physical and mental wellbeing of swimming in the great outdoors are countless. It might feel a bit nerve-wracking to start with, but once you get going you’ll wish you started sooner. Happy swimming!

Check out our other blog posts for more training tips.

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