Open Water Training and Technique - Recent Threads

RE: best open water goggles

UPEXG — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 22:46:46 GMT

I like snake and pig.

best open water goggles

lbswims — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 22:11:49 GMT

What are the best open water goggles and why?

RE: best open water goggles

ForceDJ — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:57:30 GMT

Like Britt said above…the best goggle is the one that works best for you. For me…and you may want to look at this option…the operative word is not “goggle” but “sport mask” (or “swim mask”). Not to be confused with a “diver’s mask.” Sport masks are a single lens that doesn’t have the nose piece like a diver’s mask, but fits around your eye sockets and not IN them. Goggles are fine. But for me, having them press into my eye socket continuously without being able to remove them on long swims (hour plus) becomes painful, and causes headaches. So, I prefer a sport mask similar to the one pictured below. (Because of models being discontinued by the various brands, this is the actual one I’m currently using, but have used other brands/models in the past.) The pressure is outside the eye socket and much less discomforting for me. But, not all sport masks are the same either. It may take you several attempts to find the one that works for you (same if you go with goggles). One thing I will suggest, whether you go with goggles or mask, is having a tinted lens. Unlike swimming in an indoor pool, open water swimmers are frequently confronted with the Sun in their eyes, and glare/reflection off the water. Depending on your swim course, long exposure of that glare can cause discomfort, and impact your navigation. So that’s a couple things to consider. Good luck. — Dan

RE: best open water goggles

Britt03 — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:46:56 GMT

the best open water goggles are the ones you are most comfortable in!

When I embarked on my first swimtrek and did extensive open water swimming for multiple hours every day, I tried 6 different goggles before settling on one. I also noticed that my pool goggles would hurt after wearing them for 2+ hours. I guess I needed to do longer pool swims in order to know that.

I settled for a pair that had a bigger lens, especially to the side, so I could see a lot more than with my pool goggles. Comfort and how much I could see were my 2 priorities when choosing a pair.

I tried goggles from arena, bling2O and speedo. The Bling2O aren't the pretties ones but I found them great for OW swimming. big lens and comfortable. I ultimately settled for the arena airspeed, for the reason that I can also wear them in the pool, because that's what I still mainly do. But if I was going to get a true OW goggle, I would have gone with the bling2O.

Hope this helps

RE: Maui

Jim Clemmons — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:18:53 GMT

The group that is referenced above that swims out of Kahekili Beach meets at 8:00am on Saturdays. Tex Ritter, the coach of Lahaina Master’s, organizes it. The beach is also know as the Old Airport Beach and is adjacent to the Kaanapali Ocean Resort complex and offers free parking at the public park.

Maui

aqueoushumor — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 08:54:40 GMT

We are taking a trip there in a couple weeks. I plan to spend a big chunk of time in the water. Any suggestions on the best spots? Any organized open water workouts? We are staying at Napili Point.

RE: Maui

Kyle Deery — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 20:18:36 GMT

Check with the local clubs to see their OW options: https://www.usms.org/clubs?q=&c=&pt=&l=&r=25&placeText=Maui,%20Hawaii,%20USA&zipcode=&lat=20.7983626&long=-156.3319253

RE: Maui

K4V9U — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 10:32:49 GMT

Are there any current groups who meet up regularly to open water swim on Maui? I’ll be there in January and don’t want to go alone

RE: 20 Bridges Swim / Manhattan write-up

Jay Eckert — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 20:17:57 GMT

Congrats aztimm ! Sounds like you had an awesome swim. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Here are some FAQs regarding using Community including how to upload photos/videos/files. The link you shared gives a great overview as well.

How to Contribute and Participate

20 Bridges Swim / Manhattan write-up

aztimm — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 13:55:47 GMT

Thought I'd share some of my thoughts on my recent tandem 20 Bridges Swim / Manhattan.

Firstly, what is a tandem swim? For NYOW it involves 2 swimmers, roughly the same speed, and they have to remain within 5 meters of each other. Sure, it is ok during some rough patches for that to be a bit squishy, but most of the time we were next to each other.

As someone who picked up swimming as an adult, I've always been fascinated by the thought of swimming the English Channel. However, a good friend of mine, someone I train with, did it 2 years ago, and after following her swim (both the tracker and WhatsApp group), I didn't think I wanted to swim for nearly 15 hours. She swam it in 14:45. But that didn't mean I had to give up entirely...there are tons of great open water events, both around the US and the globe.

I studied a few of the swims, looked up the success rate, the prices (these swims can get pretty pricey), and I settled on 20 Bridges. I know many people who have done it, I know the event organizers, and after I finished my Finger Lakes swim (12 miles) a few years ago, someone told me I was ready. I just didn't think I was then. I got a few more big swims under my belt, the Portland Bridge Swim and the Kingdom 10 miler, and I decided to apply this year. You apply in January, write up a brief bio, submit an hour timed swim, and select your top 3 preferred dates. Doing it tandem brings the price down substantially, so I found someone for that. The swim is about 28 to 29 miles, but with MAJOR current assist.

About a month later, I received the, "Congratulations," email, and they had assigned me to my #1 date, Sep 20. I preferred a daytime swim (I've done some night swims, and I'm sure it is fine, it just wasn't my preference). I also wanted the water warm but not too warm... As it turned out, the water (as the SCAR event organizer always says) was PERFECT!

NYOW organizes a group call (in May), and keeps their website updated with any changes. Somewhere in mid-August, I received an email with more information, that the start would be at Mill Rock (I had expected Battery Park), but that worked out for the best. The folks at NYOW have years of experience doing this, and they give swimmers the best conditions they possibly can. Then about a week before the swim, I received even more details, with start time, estimated times at key checkpoints, and overall finish time. While I was flattered that they thought I could finish in 8 hours 10 minutes, I was quite surprised and thought it was a bit aggressive. As it turned out, it was very close.

Saturday, September 20 was quite an epic day for me.

I finished the 20 Bridges Swim / Swim around Manhattan. This was a tandem swim with a swimmer friend, Jeff Campbell, and we train together regularly in Lake Austin on weekends.The day started early, to catch an Uber from Brooklyn into the city to meet the boats at the North Cove Marina at 8am, then off on the boats to the start of 20 Bridges.

The water at Mill Rock (near Gracie Mansion), our entry point, was a bit turbulent, so I cautiously jumped in, swam to my kayaker, and we were set off. Before I knew it, we were cruising along in the Harlem River, saw the big C (for Columbia University) near the end, and into the Hudson. While there were many bridges over the Harlem River, there is only one over the Hudson, the George Washington Bridge. We both swam backstroke under that bridge. There were several points where things got tough; the lower Hudson and around the Battery was a bear. At some point our kayakers told us, “Look to the right to see the Statue of Liberty,” but we were facing some 4-5 foot swells, which made it difficult to see much of anything. The East River was challenging, but it pushed us so fast; we were holding about a 20 minute per mile pace (my pace in the local lake is almost twice that). While stopped for a feed between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, I remember how far we were pushed (in the right direction) in just a short time. Before i knew it we were at Roosevelt Island, and I could see the United Nations Building, then we cruised up to our finish, where we started, at Mill Rock. I was expecting the boat to blow the horn or something, so I continued on, until my kayaker came and asked me, “Are you up for another lap?” To which I replied, “Absolutely not!”

No watches or other devices are allowed. Just a cap, goggles, and swimsuit. We had feeds about every 30 minutes (very quick breaks, maybe a minute or 2 max), and I mostly kept track of time by feeds (together with the sun). There is a HUGE clock in New Jersey across from where we caught the boat (the North Cove Marina), and it was 4pm when we reached it. I did get some small stings from sea lice, but nothing worth being too worried about.

We finished in 8 hours 15 minutes (and change), which is a respectable time. Some people set records under 6 hours, but others might take over 11 hours.

Special thanks to Jeff’s wife, Amy Campbell, our support person on the boat, and to David Barra, who kayaked for me. We had a WhatsApp group for friends near and far to follow along, and Amy provided many real-time pictures and videos to keep them updated. She also relayed messages to us during our feed breaks (plus made sure feeds were ready to transfer to our kayakers, so they could give them to us directly).

In addition to our tandem team, there were 2 others doing solo swims on the same day. It was great to meet them both, and it was so nice to see them waiting for us when we arrived back at the cove after.

Thank you to New York Open Water for putting on these events, making them happen, and keeping all of us safe!

Now to plan the next adventure…

Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll be happy to answer as best I can. I have TONS of pictures, but I'm not sure these forums allow me to upload them.

RE: 20 Bridges Swim / Manhattan write-up

aztimm — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:11:59 GMT

Jeff's wife, Amy, put together a video, with some video clips, some pictures, and it shows the course:

www.relive.com/.../vrqoj1xe2K6

RE: 5 mile swim workout plan

VVT5M — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 01:48:25 GMT

Great stuff. I appreciate these insights and I’ll definitely take you up on your offer for follow up questions later!

5 mile swim workout plan

VVT5M — Sat, 17 May 2025 16:38:53 GMT

Hi….I’m doing a 5 mile open water swim in St Croix in Nov. I’ve previously done a 4K open water event (took me 1:39) but this is my first attempt at this distance. Can anyone recommend a training plan? I have a good base now and I’m in generally good shape. Middle of the pack ability level. Any help is much appreciated!

RE: 5 mile swim workout plan

AGZNG — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:22:59 GMT

Channel swimmer here. Since you completed a 4km swim (2.49 miles) in 1 hour, 39 minutes, that puts you at around 2 miles per hour, so that anticipates a 5-mile finish time of 3 hours, 18 minutes, but I'd plan on at least 3.5 hours because open water is so unpredictable due to wind speeds, currents, and other conditions that will affect your pace and finish time.

The rule of thumb is that you can swim in a day what you typically swim in a week. Do you have access to open water? How often can you access that open water for training swims? Do you have access to a long course (50 meter) lap pool? Or are you limited to 25 yard/25 meter lap pools? Swimming long course laps will help prepare you for open water races.

If you aren't already swimming with a masters team (which I assume you are, being an USMS member), then definitely join one to improve your speed and sprinting ability for when you have to swim against currents/waves.

Try to do an open water swim at least once every two weeks if you can (but it's OK if you can't). Swim for time, not distance, because distance accuracy can be iffy even on the most expensive Garmin watches. Since it may take you at least 3.5 hours to complete the 5 miler, I would build up to 2.75-3 hours max (75% of the race distance), either in the pool or open water. Try to do two of these 2.75-3 hour swims in the weeks before the race.

As for fueling, I would go with sticking gels in your swimsuit so you can easily access them and do fast feeds. Slow/long feeds can add a ton of time to your finish time. If you have a kayaker, you can do feed bottles tossed to you on a rope or retractable (and locking!!!) dog leash clipped to a carabiner clipped to a whelping puppy collar buckled around a squeezable bottle, or carabiner clipped to a chug bottle which usually has a way to clip the carabiner on. If you don't have a kayaker, then go with isotonic gels that you don't need to take with water, such as Maurten, SiS, or Precision. I use all three and purposely buy them for long training swims on my own so I don't have to haul around feed bottles.

Maurten gels are my favorite, although expensive, because they have the consistency of unflavored jello and go down easily. However, Precision just came out with jumbo 90g carb gels which I've been using on long training swims so I don't have to carry as many individual gels. These jumbo gels aren't isotonic but I haven't had any problems taking them without water. You could take a Maurten or other gel every 30 minutes (and also take one before you start the swim), so given the 3.5 hour finish time, you'd need 7 gels (which includes one extra gel in case you go long or lose one). Or 2-3 of the jumbo Precision gels.

When I Googled 5 mile open water swim training plans, quite a few popped up. I briefly glanced at a few so I can't vouch for any of them. I make my own training plans/logs using Google Sheets. If you'd like to talk more offline or get a sample training log, feel free to message me. I hope this helps!

RE: 5 mile swim workout plan

VVT5M — Fri, 23 May 2025 00:02:57 GMT

Very helpful Erik. Thanks much!

RE: 5 mile swim workout plan

Erik Hochstein — Thu, 22 May 2025 23:53:49 GMT

I would very much train like running a marathon -- the most important part as far as I understand marathon training - gradual consistent long "runs" for you swims - ideally one every week, maybe start one every 10 days - work your other workouts around that long swim. Goal is guessing about 3.5 hour range - you should be near there about 2 weeks prior to meet. Build a simple plan - 90 min long swim now - add in 2-3 60 min swims. Next week 95-100 min -- and so on -- if a week is a struggle - keep at that level - body needs time to adopt...

I would also add support work - thats a long swim - lot of arm rotation - get some habit of solid stretching and shoulder support strength - them muscles that we don't use in swimming.

RE: 5 mile swim workout plan

VVT5M — Tue, 20 May 2025 19:57:18 GMT

Thanks Dan. Good advice.

RE: 5 mile swim workout plan

ForceDJ — Tue, 20 May 2025 16:35:11 GMT

One thing I will suggest is to work on your hydration and feeding. In the 4k (2.5 mile-ish) it’s not as much of an issue. But on a 5-miler you will need to feed and hydrate more. If you haven’t done the feeding before…you should practice, and see what you prefer for it. If you have a kayaker accompanying you, and they will be handing you the food/drink…they need to practice their part too. Personally…with regard to protein…I didn’t think that having to ‘chew’ something would be practical. So, instead of any chewable food, I take protein shakes…like bottles of Ensure. — Dan

RE: Lake Garda Italy open water swimming

Bob P — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 23:12:13 GMT

This may answer part of your question. Just some helpful tips for swimming there. I have not been but seemed like a fun question to google. This is what I found so far.

www.gardatrentino.it/.../swimming-in-open-water

Lake Garda Italy open water swimming

09XJU — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:51:14 GMT

We are headed to Lake Garda Italy this summer. We would like to swim about 2k/day in the lake. Does anyone know of a group that swims the lake where we can join in? Not sure if we can swim on our own or need a guide boat. Also wondering which section of the lake is best for this.

RE: Maui

037KP — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 20:21:26 GMT

Thank you! Visiting kapalua and will try to make Sunday at Kahekili, or maybe Napoli point! Do folks meet there also?

RE: Kona - Open water swimming

ForceDJ — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:20:02 GMT

Well, if you’re on Facebook, try a search with “open water swimming Kona Hawaii” in it. See if there are any groups. Or, you can reach out to a local individual in the search results. Good luck.

Dan

Kona - Open water swimming

03FA9 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 01:48:23 GMT

Hi,

Headed to Kona, staying at the Mauna Lani. I'm looking for a pod to swim with. I'm experienced and usually swim 4k in my workouts. Leads?

Scott

Open Water Coaching Certification Program + Virtual Clinic Led by Triple Crowner & Marathon Swimming Coach Craig Lewin

03ZEB — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 20:49:45 GMT

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Wet suits

Former Member — Fri, 07 Feb 2003 09:25:34 GMT

Help-I am trying to figure out which wet suit would be the best choice for an open water swim. I have looked at Orcas, Ironman suits and finally the QR's. They all look about the same but what am I missing. What are your experiences with these suits?