To educate, entertain, and enthuse all those who venture beyond the shoreline
World Open Water Swimming Federation, a human-powered project
The Coney Island Polar Bear Club, founded in 1903, is the oldest winter bathing organization in America whose members swim in the Atlantic Ocean every Sunday through winter. The Coney Island Polar Bears organize arguably the most famous Polar Bear Swim in America. This year, the Club is also promoting Planet Green‘s hosting of Martin […]
Martin Strel At Planet Green With Polar Bears Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Back in the 1970’s, a quiet, hard-working open water swimming team in Southern California, coached by Siga Rose, had a number of young ocean swimmers who trained constantly along the coast of California. Those swimmers – Lynne Cox, Penny Dean, John York – eventually became world-famous as they went
Open Water Swimming Teams Read More »
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. The Surf Living Saving Australia recently published its annual National Coastal Safety Report. The report included a heavily researched and well-documented 2009 Life Saving Report with an abundance of startling information. Similar to life-saving research in America, the Surf Living Saving Australia found most drownings of individuals over the
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Richard Broer, board member of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and Open Water Swimming Europe, reminded us that the Dutch have a long, proud tradition of New Year’s Day swims. The Dutch cold-water dips are sponsored by UNOX with Nieuwjaarsduik (New Year’s Dive) in Scheveningen getting national television coverage. Copyright © 2009 by
Diving Into The North Sea Read More »
Ice hole swimming or ‘avantouinti‘ (Finnish) has its own enthusiasts and Avantouinti Society. Ice swimming requires cutting a hole in the ice where the water temperature hovers around 0°C (32°F). Avanto swimmers say ice swimming makes them feel fresh throughout the day and helps build resistance to the common flu. With thousands of enthusiasts preparing
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As part of the Total Immersion 2010 Coaches Manual, founder and CEO Terry Laughlin advocates swimming to grow new brain cells rather than simply to grow new blood vessels. Instead of thinking about swimming from a physiological perspective, Total Immersion is advocating swimming for its neurological benefits. Terry, who has developed a global following in
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It is not a competition, but a celebration. The Maryland State Police host the Polar Bear Plunge, the largest polar bear swim in the US, held annually at Sandy Point State Park in the Chesapeake Bay. The event raises funds for the Special Olympics – an estimated 11,000 people participated in 2009 raising a cumulative
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Suijutsu (or Suiei-jutsu) (水術 in Japanese) is the Japanese martial art of combative swimming. Iwasaki Hisashi-sensei, Soke (Headmaster) of Kobori Ryu suiei-jutsu in Kyoto, teaches and preserves this rare form of ancient martial art. Swimming was often part of a samurai‘s training. In a country surrounded by the ocean and dotted with lakes and rivers
Combative Swimming Read More »
LEN (Ligue Européenne de Natation), the governing body of 51 national European Swimming Federations, and sports reporters from across the European continent honored Thomas Lurz and Angela Maurer as its Open Water Athletes of the Year. The two German world champions swam extraordinarily well throughout the year, culminating in dramatic and toughly-fought victories at the
LEN Honors Roll In For Lurz And Maurer Read More »
Gary Duffield won the annual Peter Pan Cup Christmas Morning Handicap Swim in the Serpentine in London yesterday. The water, measured at 0°C (32°F), had just defrosted from the ice sheet that had melted overnight. Peter Pan Cup Christmas Morning Handicap Swim, first held in 1864, is open to members who have competed in three
Swimming In 0°C To Victory In The Serpentine Read More »