May 29, 2025 • 10 mins
If open water freaks you out—you’re not alone. It’s one of the biggest reasons people avoid triathlon altogether. In this episode, Coach Chris takes you behind the scenes of what it really takes to feel calm, confident, and in control during your swim.
You’ll discover:
- How to figure out what’s actually triggering your anxiety so you can stop guessing and start addressing it
- How to stay calm (and moving forward) even when you need to take a break mid-swim
- How to stop zigzagging and start swimming straight—no matter how choppy the water is
- How to prevent that dreaded heart rate spike right at the start of your swim
- How to get comfortable in your wetsuit before it messes with your race day
- How to mentally break down long courses so they don’t feel overwhelming
- How to place yourself in the pack for the most comfortable swim experience
- How to safely build confidence by using the support that’s already there for you
Want a handy tip sheet to reinforce these tools? Grab our free Open Water Swim Tips PDF at theenduranceedge.com/freebies
If you're local, join us for our weekly open water swim workouts at Jordan Lake and Falls Lake, including beginner only swims as well as intermediate/advanced swims.
Download our free resources:
- 6 Steps to Triathlon Success: Free Guide
- Hydration Guide for Athletes
- Runner's Fueling & Hydration Cheat Sheet
- Guide to High Performance Healthy Eating
Find us here: TheEnduranceEdge.com
Race with us: Humans of Steel Olympic & Sprint Triathlon at Harris Lake, NC
Purchase Safe Supplements here.
Follow us on Instagram or Facebook
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 0 (00:01):
Welcome back to the Find your Edge podcast.
I am so glad you're here.
This is Coach Chris, and we aretalking about one of my
favorite topics today, and thatis conquering open water swim
anxiety.
In fact, this is one of the topreasons why people don't get
into triathlon is because openwater can be scary.
So let's start off with alittle bit of self-reflection.
(00:25):
What is it about open water thatbrings you anxiety?
Maybe even write them down,make yourself a list.
Is it that you don't know howto swim?
Is it that you're afraid ofwater?
Is it that there's somethingpotentially living in the water?
Is it that you can't see theblack line on the bottom of the
pool?
Or that maybe you can't touchthe bottom if you needed to?
Or maybe that it's cold?
(00:46):
There could be any number ofreasons that potentially bring
you anxiety.
Also, whether you're someone whohas practically lived in the
pool as a kid to someone who wasbrand new to swimming, give
yourself permission to be anovice.
This is just different.
So, first and foremost, if youdon't know how to swim, that's
(01:07):
step one.
You got to learn how to swimbefore you get in the open water
.
So practice, practice, practice.
Get those skills that you needin water and bring them to the
water because they're going tobe really, really important.
Plus learning or practicing asafety stroke like breaststroke,
backstroke, side stroke or evenelementary backstroke.
I personally use breaststroke.
(01:28):
It's one of my favoritesbecause I can look up, but for
whatever reason, a lot of peoplejust don't quite get the timing
right with breaststroke and itjust doesn't quite work for them
.
So side stroke or backstroke isa little bit better.
A little side note aboutbackstroke if that is your
choice of stroke, which istotally fine, especially if
you're if you're panicked, youmight just need to lie on your
back, maybe do a little bit ofelementary backstroke.
(01:50):
If you are going to bebackstroking for an extended
period of time, you are likelyto go off course.
It is partly the job of theswim personnel to keep you on
track, but it also is your jobto make sure that you are
swimming in the right direction.
So just a little note on thatof giving yourself many
(02:10):
opportunities, many differentskill sets, in order to make
sure that you can be comfortableboth in the pool and in the
open water.
Another skill that you will needto know is learning how to
sight.
In fact we've got a video on itI will attach to this.
But it is not just aboutlooking forward and actually
seeing where you're going, butit's about being aware of all
your surroundings, so noticingthings that otherwise, in the
(02:34):
pool, you wouldn't even careabout right.
You might need to be sighting arock wall along one side, or on
the other side you'll noticethat there's a shoreline, or
houses or certain types of trees.
So just being aware of yoursurroundings is all about
keeping you going in the rightdirection and learning how to
site.
(02:54):
Another issue that I seecommonly increasing people's
anxiety is that they just don'twarm up well on land prior or in
the water prior to getting intoopen water, and then their
heart rate spikes and then theyfeel like they can't breathe and
then it's just kind of adisaster.
And this typically happenswithin the first five minutes or
(03:15):
within the first 200 yards,whether it be in a race or in
any sort of practice situation.
So be sure you create yourselfa little bit of a warm-up ritual
moving your shoulders, movingyour neck, making sure that you
take a couple of deep breaths.
Maybe it's doing some squats orburpees, so that you're well
warmed up and your heart ratedoesn't spike, leaving you
(03:35):
gasping for air.
Similarly, get the sensoryexperience of the water before
you just jump right in.
Water might taste or feel alittle bit different.
It might be salty, it might be,and with that salt, with that
salinity, you might be a littlebit more buoyant or you may not
(03:56):
have as much buoyancy.
So it is important to get inthe water, splash some water on
your face and just sort ofexperience it a little bit.
If you're in a wetsuit whichwe'll talk more about that here
in a moment I know on race dayyou may not always have the
opportunity to get in the water,but it is at least important to
try to splash a little bit ofwater on your face and get that
sensory experience prior tostarting your swim.
(04:18):
About wetsuits, so depending onwhere you live and whether you
need one, it is important topractice with it if you are
going to be racing in it andthis doesn't mean, oh, I just
put it on and then I took it offand then on race day I just got
in the water.
We hear time and time againthat that is the situation and
then people have anxiety oncethey hit the water.
(04:39):
Try to practice in your wetsuitin the pool, if you can,
especially if the manufacturerallows it.
It just feels different.
Your center of buoyancy is alittle bit different.
So getting the sense of howyour body is in the pool with a
wetsuit on is important topractice.
Plus, when else are you wearinga giant suit of rubber that is
(04:59):
very snug around your diaphragm,your lungs and your neck?
Not often right.
So that is different when youdon't necessarily have to work
to inhale, when you don't have awetsuit or when you just have a
regular swimsuit on.
Now you're having to spend alittle bit of effort to inhale,
sort of pushing against thatwetsuit feel, and then just
(05:22):
having something around yourneck.
Now, that being said, yourwetsuit needs to fit properly.
So it is important that youmeasure yourself and use the
manufacturer's suggestion and,if you can go, try one on.
So let's keep rolling on withrace day, open water, swim
anxiety.
So if you feel those racenerves, it is important to take
(05:45):
some deep breaths, whether youare on land prior to getting in
the water or if you have to stopand hang on to a paddleboard or
a kayak and just take some deepbreaths.
I have many a time beensomebody on that paddleboard and
somebody comes up to me andthey are hyperventilating.
So, just like you've probablyseen, people breathe into a
paper bag I don't have any paperbags there, but I'm at least
(06:08):
there to talk you through.
Okay, exhale, exhale, soemphasizing those longer
exhalations to lower that heartrate and to stimulate that
parasympathetic nervous system.
Some people may experience someseasickness.
So if that is the case,hopefully you'll know prior to
race day.
There are earplugs that candefinitely help.
Some ginger candies or chewsare another great tip that you
(06:33):
can try.
I have had people who have alsoused a little bit of Tums, but
again, these are things justlike nothing new on race day.
These are things that are goodto try prior to race day.
Another important tip to easeyour open water swim anxiety is
knowing the course for race dayand breaking it down into
reasonable chunks, like, okay,I'm just going to focus on this,
(06:53):
I'm getting from here to thisbuoy or knowing what colors you
need to get to so that you canbreak it down into reasonable
chunks.
When you're standing on landlooking at an open water swim
course, it can feel incrediblydaunting versus standing on the
pool deck and you see 25 yardsor you see 50 meters, you see
(07:13):
the end, right, it's no big deal.
Well, when you stand there andyou see a 1.2 mile swim, it just
can look a little daunting.
So, just like what you might doon the run, just take it step
by step, break it down intothose reasonable chunks, do a
little bit of strategizing toknowing your ability and being
(07:34):
realistic and honest about yourability as a swimmer.
So if you're a weaker swimmerand you just don't feel
comfortable being around all ofthose other swimmers, don't
worry about it.
Let the gun go off and justkind of take up the back or go
slightly to the outside.
Also, maybe have a conversationwith your kayakers or
paddleboarders beforehand andjust say hey, can you keep an
(07:56):
eye out for me?
I'm going to be looking for youtoo.
There's no guarantee thatthey're going to exactly be
there for you, but it at leastjust gives you a little bit of
easing that anxiety.
Of course, that is what we weretalking about after all, of
just knowing that people arelooking out for you.
Also, as it relates to thatwith strategy, is knowing
whether you're going to beinside or outside, knowing which
(08:17):
side you tend to breathe on.
For example, my stronger sideis breathing to my right, so if
I can strategically put myselfin a position where I can sight
by looking to my right and notbe as worried about breathing to
the left, I'm going to try todo that.
So know which side you breatheon.
If you do at any point needsome help again, you can flip on
(08:40):
your back.
You can use that alternatestroke and also, don't be
ashamed to use a kayak or apaddleboard to just take a break
.
Have a conversation, breathe.
Maybe you've got sort of alogistical issue or like a gear
issue.
Maybe you need to adjust yourgoggles, or maybe the zipper on
your wetsuit isn't working.
They'll help you out, so don'tbe ashamed to use that either.
(09:03):
Lastly, have fun.
Celebrate your ability to goafter this thing and to really
challenge yourself.
It is again.
The juice is totally worth thesqueeze.
You guys, you definitely needto try it.
It is hard, it is exciting andme not coming from a background
in swimming, this is probablyone of my favorite things in
(09:24):
triathlon is open water swims.
They are a blast.
So good luck in trying all ofthese different things and
challenging yourself.
I truly appreciate you forlistening and hopefully you
weren't writing too quickly,because we have all this in a
little tip sheet and you candownload it from our website for
(09:45):
free.
The link will be in the shownotes or on our website,
theenduranceedgecom underpodcast, where you can download
that straight from there.
All right, thanks again forlistening.
Good luck in all of youradventures.
You got this.
Welcome back to the Find your Edge podcast.
I am so glad you're here.
This is Coach Chris, and we aretalking about one of my
favorite topics today, and thatis conquering open water swim
anxiety.
In fact, this is one of the topreasons why people don't get
into triathlon is because openwater can be scary.
So let's start off with alittle bit of self-reflection.
(00:25):
What is it about open water thatbrings you anxiety?
Maybe even write them down,make yourself a list.
Is it that you don't know howto swim?
Is it that you're afraid ofwater?
Is it that there's somethingpotentially living in the water?
Is it that you can't see theblack line on the bottom of the
pool?
Or that maybe you can't touchthe bottom if you needed to?
Or maybe that it's cold?
(00:46):
There could be any number ofreasons that potentially bring
you anxiety.
Also, whether you're someone whohas practically lived in the
pool as a kid to someone who wasbrand new to swimming, give
yourself permission to be anovice.
This is just different.
So, first and foremost, if youdon't know how to swim, that's
(01:07):
step one.
You got to learn how to swimbefore you get in the open water
.
So practice, practice, practice.
Get those skills that you needin water and bring them to the
water because they're going tobe really, really important.
Plus learning or practicing asafety stroke like breaststroke,
backstroke, side stroke or evenelementary backstroke.
I personally use breaststroke.
(01:28):
It's one of my favoritesbecause I can look up, but for
whatever reason, a lot of peoplejust don't quite get the timing
right with breaststroke and itjust doesn't quite work for them
.
So side stroke or backstroke isa little bit better.
A little side note aboutbackstroke if that is your
choice of stroke, which istotally fine, especially if
you're if you're panicked, youmight just need to lie on your
back, maybe do a little bit ofelementary backstroke.
(01:50):
If you are going to bebackstroking for an extended
period of time, you are likelyto go off course.
It is partly the job of theswim personnel to keep you on
track, but it also is your jobto make sure that you are
swimming in the right direction.
So just a little note on thatof giving yourself many
(02:10):
opportunities, many differentskill sets, in order to make
sure that you can be comfortableboth in the pool and in the
open water.
Another skill that you will needto know is learning how to
sight.
In fact we've got a video on itI will attach to this.
But it is not just aboutlooking forward and actually
seeing where you're going, butit's about being aware of all
your surroundings, so noticingthings that otherwise, in the
(02:34):
pool, you wouldn't even careabout right.
You might need to be sighting arock wall along one side, or on
the other side you'll noticethat there's a shoreline, or
houses or certain types of trees.
So just being aware of yoursurroundings is all about
keeping you going in the rightdirection and learning how to
site.
(02:54):
Another issue that I seecommonly increasing people's
anxiety is that they just don'twarm up well on land prior or in
the water prior to getting intoopen water, and then their
heart rate spikes and then theyfeel like they can't breathe and
then it's just kind of adisaster.
And this typically happenswithin the first five minutes or
(03:15):
within the first 200 yards,whether it be in a race or in
any sort of practice situation.
So be sure you create yourselfa little bit of a warm-up ritual
moving your shoulders, movingyour neck, making sure that you
take a couple of deep breaths.
Maybe it's doing some squats orburpees, so that you're well
warmed up and your heart ratedoesn't spike, leaving you
(03:35):
gasping for air.
Similarly, get the sensoryexperience of the water before
you just jump right in.
Water might taste or feel alittle bit different.
It might be salty, it might be,and with that salt, with that
salinity, you might be a littlebit more buoyant or you may not
(03:56):
have as much buoyancy.
So it is important to get inthe water, splash some water on
your face and just sort ofexperience it a little bit.
If you're in a wetsuit whichwe'll talk more about that here
in a moment I know on race dayyou may not always have the
opportunity to get in the water,but it is at least important to
try to splash a little bit ofwater on your face and get that
sensory experience prior tostarting your swim.
(04:18):
About wetsuits, so depending onwhere you live and whether you
need one, it is important topractice with it if you are
going to be racing in it andthis doesn't mean, oh, I just
put it on and then I took it offand then on race day I just got
in the water.
We hear time and time againthat that is the situation and
then people have anxiety oncethey hit the water.
(04:39):
Try to practice in your wetsuitin the pool, if you can,
especially if the manufacturerallows it.
It just feels different.
Your center of buoyancy is alittle bit different.
So getting the sense of howyour body is in the pool with a
wetsuit on is important topractice.
Plus, when else are you wearinga giant suit of rubber that is
(04:59):
very snug around your diaphragm,your lungs and your neck?
Not often right.
So that is different when youdon't necessarily have to work
to inhale, when you don't have awetsuit or when you just have a
regular swimsuit on.
Now you're having to spend alittle bit of effort to inhale,
sort of pushing against thatwetsuit feel, and then just
(05:22):
having something around yourneck.
Now, that being said, yourwetsuit needs to fit properly.
So it is important that youmeasure yourself and use the
manufacturer's suggestion and,if you can go, try one on.
So let's keep rolling on withrace day, open water, swim
anxiety.
So if you feel those racenerves, it is important to take
(05:45):
some deep breaths, whether youare on land prior to getting in
the water or if you have to stopand hang on to a paddleboard or
a kayak and just take some deepbreaths.
I have many a time beensomebody on that paddleboard and
somebody comes up to me andthey are hyperventilating.
So, just like you've probablyseen, people breathe into a
paper bag I don't have any paperbags there, but I'm at least
(06:08):
there to talk you through.
Okay, exhale, exhale, soemphasizing those longer
exhalations to lower that heartrate and to stimulate that
parasympathetic nervous system.
Some people may experience someseasickness.
So if that is the case,hopefully you'll know prior to
race day.
There are earplugs that candefinitely help.
Some ginger candies or chewsare another great tip that you
(06:33):
can try.
I have had people who have alsoused a little bit of Tums, but
again, these are things justlike nothing new on race day.
These are things that are goodto try prior to race day.
Another important tip to easeyour open water swim anxiety is
knowing the course for race dayand breaking it down into
reasonable chunks, like, okay,I'm just going to focus on this,
(06:53):
I'm getting from here to thisbuoy or knowing what colors you
need to get to so that you canbreak it down into reasonable
chunks.
When you're standing on landlooking at an open water swim
course, it can feel incrediblydaunting versus standing on the
pool deck and you see 25 yardsor you see 50 meters, you see
(07:13):
the end, right, it's no big deal.
Well, when you stand there andyou see a 1.2 mile swim, it just
can look a little daunting.
So, just like what you might doon the run, just take it step
by step, break it down intothose reasonable chunks, do a
little bit of strategizing toknowing your ability and being
(07:34):
realistic and honest about yourability as a swimmer.
So if you're a weaker swimmerand you just don't feel
comfortable being around all ofthose other swimmers, don't
worry about it.
Let the gun go off and justkind of take up the back or go
slightly to the outside.
Also, maybe have a conversationwith your kayakers or
paddleboarders beforehand andjust say hey, can you keep an
(07:56):
eye out for me?
I'm going to be looking for youtoo.
There's no guarantee thatthey're going to exactly be
there for you, but it at leastjust gives you a little bit of
easing that anxiety.
Of course, that is what we weretalking about after all, of
just knowing that people arelooking out for you.
Also, as it relates to thatwith strategy, is knowing
whether you're going to beinside or outside, knowing which
(08:17):
side you tend to breathe on.
For example, my stronger sideis breathing to my right, so if
I can strategically put myselfin a position where I can sight
by looking to my right and notbe as worried about breathing to
the left, I'm going to try todo that.
So know which side you breatheon.
If you do at any point needsome help again, you can flip on
(08:40):
your back.
You can use that alternatestroke and also, don't be
ashamed to use a kayak or apaddleboard to just take a break
.
Have a conversation, breathe.
Maybe you've got sort of alogistical issue or like a gear
issue.
Maybe you need to adjust yourgoggles, or maybe the zipper on
your wetsuit isn't working.
They'll help you out, so don'tbe ashamed to use that either.
(09:03):
Lastly, have fun.
Celebrate your ability to goafter this thing and to really
challenge yourself.
It is again.
The juice is totally worth thesqueeze.
You guys, you definitely needto try it.
It is hard, it is exciting andme not coming from a background
in swimming, this is probablyone of my favorite things in
(09:24):
triathlon is open water swims.
They are a blast.
So good luck in trying all ofthese different things and
challenging yourself.
I truly appreciate you forlistening and hopefully you
weren't writing too quickly,because we have all this in a
little tip sheet and you candownload it from our website for
(09:45):
free.
The link will be in the shownotes or on our website,
theenduranceedgecom underpodcast, where you can download
that straight from there.
All right, thanks again forlistening.
Good luck in all of youradventures.
You got this.
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