Shooting The Gap and Other Open Water Swimming Moves

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

While there will not be any coastal ocean races in California and Florida or anywhere else in America this summer, other countries and coastal communities will offer some racing as the COVID-19 pandemic gets under control.

What are some examples of racing tactics and competitive moves used open water swimmers?

Besides the basic moves like dolphining, drafting, bodysurfing, impeding, negative splitting, railroading, sheltered-side breathing, slip streaming, shooting the gap (see video above), zip lining, self-screening, veering, side-dolphining, and dive turning, there are also specialty moves like the Lateral Laze, Tack ‘n Turn, The Ilchenko, Circle Move, Seek and Spot, Reach and Roll, Gulp and Go, and Toss and Turn.

From left to right in the video above, Steven Munatones, Matthew Mitchell and Hank Wise practice shooting the gap in a local pool in Long Beach, California.

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