Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Gordon Gridley is one of the most renowned open water swimmers in the state of Utah. He has years of experience swimming in the salt water not only in the world’s oceans, but also in the Great Salt Lake.

Utah is the location of the Great Salt Lake, one of the saltiest bodies of open water in the world. Gridley advises, “Many swimmers prefer no alcohol mouthwash rinse to get some relief from the saltwater ‘burn’ that eventually is experienced during a long swim in the Great Salt Lake. But others are just used to it and it’s just part if the swim.”

Photo by Connie Hubbard shows William Reeves exiting the water in the Great Salt Lake with Antelope Island in the background. Reeves set the record for the 8.12-mile Antelope Island to Black Rock Beach in 3 hours 10 minutes.

Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association