To educate, entertain, and enthuse all those who venture beyond the shoreline
World Open Water Swimming Federation, a human-powered project
The difference at winning and losing is often incredibly close. At major international open water swimming championships and at the Olympics, the competition among the elite athletes is often so close that high-speed cameras are required to distinguish who wins and who loses. These cameras are focused on the vertical plane of the finish pads […]
Photo Finish At The Olympics Marathon Swim Read More »
Fast, flat and furious. Tough, tactical and tricky. Easy-to-see, easy-to-get-to and easy-to-understand. That pretty much sums up the Olympic marathon swimming course for the athletes, coaches and spectators at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Why fast, flat and furious? The course is held on the home venue of the Serpentine Swimming Club in Hyde Park
What Is The Olympic Marathon Swimming Course? Read More »
Is there an older formally organized open water swimming team in the world? It is hard to imagine. For nearly 150 years, the venerable Serpentine Swimming Club has been using the Serpentine in Hyde Park in the heart of London as its training grounds and famed Christmas Day competitions. It takes something spectacular, something magnificent,
If You Are In London, Join The Club Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. An estimated 110 million people visit the beaches of Southern California during the summer time. From star-laden Malibu to the hip Newport Beach, the Left Coast of America is renowned for its miles of shoreline, coastal cruising locations and people-watching and sports opportunities. Approximately 40% of the beach-goers get
Mega Touch – You Want These Lifeguards On Your Side Read More »
Abilio Alvaro Da Costa Couto is an Honour Swimmer inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1958, Couto swam from France to England in 12 hours 45 minutes as the first Brazilian and South American to swim across the English Channel. A year later, he swam from France to England
Abilio Couto Swam Around The World Read More »
John Kinsella (first), Sandra Bucha (second) and Phil Dodson (third) are pictured with Coach Don Watson after the 10-mile Chicago Lake Swim in 1974. Professionally, the trio of teammates from Hinsdale Central High School performed well in the open water…and continued their careers on land. Kinsella went on to Harvard Business School and has enjoyed
Trio From Hinsdale Central Make It On Land And Water Read More »
Seiches and seiche-related phenomena have been observed on lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, bays, harbors and seas. The term was promoted by the Swiss hydrologist François-Alphonse Forel in 1890, who was the first to make scientific observations of the effect in Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The word originates from a Swiss French word meaning sway back and
Tsunami On A Lake – It Can Happen Read More »
With water and air temperatures soaring in some parts of the northern hemisphere, the issue of what water temperatures are too high is being discussed by some race directors again. It remains a difficult topic to come to a consensus. Some national swimming federations have instituted a maximum water temperature of 31°C (87.8°F). Other have
Why 31°C Is Too Warm For Open Water Competitions Read More »
The water is blue, but the future is gradually becoming greener in the open water swimming world. At the 8th annual Sheko Challenge in Hong Kong, the carbon footprint was minimized by use of reusable BAMBOA cups. Instead of the use of plastic bottles donated by a local sponsor, athletes, volunteers and spectators were offered
Plastic…Nooooo. BAMBOA…Yes! Read More »
Swimmers from 34 countries on 5 continents are entered in the Olympic 10km Marathon Swim at the 2012 London Olympic Games. From small countries (Guam) to large ones (China), from land-locked countries (Hungary) to island nations (Great Britain), from tropical countries (Malaysia) to mountainous ones (Switzerland), from those on the Mediterranean (Tunisia) to those bordering
34 Countries On 5 Continents In The Olympic Marathon Read More »