Ready, set, go. After educating and arming yourself with all the safety and swimming tips you can find on open water swimming, there is nothing else left but to simply jump in and practice. There is no substitute for getting a feel for the differences between open water and a contained swimming / lap pool. Now it's just like the saying goes, practice, practice, practice.
The first most important tip is safety first. Don’t ever swim alone in an open body of water of any kind. Go in a group or with a partner and even better yet go with a buddy in a kayak who can spot for you.
Practice sighting. One of the biggest differences from training in a pool and swimming in open water is that there is no big black line on the bottom you can follow to keep you on track swimming straight. Before getting into the water look for identifiable land markers like a tall tree, a building, or just anything you can see each time you raise your head and look forward. This will really help to keep you swimming in the right direction.
If possible, always try to get in the water a day or two before the race and test out your sighting. Also, you can get a feel for the temperature of the water, the conditions and surroundings.
Relax and be confident in your training. Some say that you should start out a race hard and fast to gain a strong position ahead of your competitors and maybe that is for you if you are experienced in racing and swimming in open water. But, if you are a newbie I would suggest just get started and swim to get comfortable and confident.
Do you have any tips you would like to add? If so please do.
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