Open Water Swimming Safety Tips: Ask the Odyssey Community Series

Open water swimming is a thrilling, rewarding, and challenging athletic activity. It also can be dangerous.

At Odyssey Open Water Swimming, we constantly promote the concept of “respecting the water.” A wrong turn, large wave, sea creature, or other unforeseen event could turn a fun adventure into a life-threatening incident.

What’s your best (or short list) tip for open water swimming safety? 

In our new “Ask the Community” series, we ask you — the open water swimming community, questions on a variety of subjects and publish the top responses here on our blog. In this week’s post, we asked for a safety tip for open water swimming. Here are the responses we received:

Instagram 

• “Wearing a bright colored swim cap, so boaters can see you in the water 🏊‍♀️🛥️👍.” - dana_haldeman

• “The yellow caps you guys have is the nicest cap I own! Really high quality.” - walzmusic

• “Always check the tides. Always bring a safety buoy. Don’t ever panic.” - sabrina.flynn

• “Never swim alone.” - cblythe1

• “Make friends with Taylor. Stop and talk to him when conditions are choppy or tiring. Breaks are good! And fun!” - heidi_scharein

• “Hire @odyssey_openwaterswimming 😃.” - revkatie

• “Practice, practice, in the open water so if/when the panic hits during a key swim you know how to move past it.” - thewhitmc

Facebook 

• “For cold water: thermal cap and swim cap over ears or plugs to avoid dizziness! Learned that the hard way.” - Aaron Walz

• “Prescription swim goggles and custom molded earplugs.” - David Konka

• “Always swim in pairs and sighting buoy when needed.” - Rob McCallion

• “Take it small at first and know yourself. Everyone is different. I recently did an Alcatraz crossing and another swimmer much younger and much fitter than me was taken to the hospital in an ambulance for hypothermia. Make sure your training gives some exposure to the conditions you will face in an event.” - Marshall King

• “Bring a fish, dead or alive, attach it to some fishing line. Make a loop, and lasso it around the person who is swimming in front of you. Fade back and don't worry about the sharks. Helps me everytime.” - Jon Farley

• “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” - Gary Schellenberg

• “Let people know when you are going out and for approximately how long.” - Melissa Parent

• “Bi-lateral breathing.” - Susan Brooks Carty 

Want to participate in future “Ask the Community” posts? Follow Odyssey Open Water Swimming on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.