Open Water Swimming Cheat Sheet

The key takeaways for beginners – visibility, body position without a lane line, and handling currents, cold water and mass starts safely.

Safety equipment

Item	Tip
Swim buoy	Not a life vest, but visible to boats and a short buoyancy aid if you tire – strap at the hip, 1.5–2 m leash.
Wetsuit	Mandatory under 14 °C, banned above 20–24 °C, maximum 5 mm thick – tight like a second skin, shoulders free to rotate.
High-visibility cap	Pink, orange or neon yellow instead of black – visible from far greater distance across waves.
Anti-chafe gel	On neck, wrists and ankles against chafing under the wetsuit.

The 3 golden technique rules

Factor 1: Body position despite waves and no lane line

Concept: With no black line on the bottom, you instinctively keep your head up longer in open water than in the pool – your hips sink and drag rises. Tip: Keep your head as low as in the pool. Lift it only briefly and minimally to sight the next buoy, then drop it straight back down.

Factor 2: Controlling cold-water shock

Concept: The cold-shock reflex spikes your breathing volume to 2.2 litres – uncontrolled gasping is more dangerous than the cold itself. Tip: Enter in stages – feet, hips, chest, neck – and consciously exhale slowly. After four short sessions, the reflex noticeably fades.

Factor 3: Read the current instead of fighting it

Concept: Rip currents are usually only 10–30 metres wide, but pull hard away from shore – fighting straight against them just wastes strength. Tip: Swim parallel to the shore until the pull eases, then angle back diagonally – most currents let go by themselves after 100–200 m.

Getting into open water safely

Choose a supervised spot: A lifeguard-supervised lake beats an unknown river – supervision is the single biggest safety factor when starting out.
Never swim alone: Bring company or tell someone – in open water, nobody else notices if something goes wrong.
Start short and close to shore: 10–15 minutes parallel to the shore for your first session – the distance builds itself from there.

Recognising warning signs

Sign	Meaning
Red-and-yellow flag	Supervised area with a lifeguard – the safest choice for beginners.
Yellow flag added	Caution: higher waves or current, better suited to experienced swimmers.
Red flag alone	Nobody enters the water – no exceptions, even for strong swimmers.
Greenish-turquoise film	Algae-bloom warning sign – don't swim through it and shower afterwards; light cloudiness without a film is usually harmless.

Mass starts & cramps

Start at the edge or the back third: Less chaos in the critical first 200 metres beats a few extra metres – contact is normal, not aggression.
Keep breathing under pressure: Breathe in a controlled way, or briefly roll onto your back to reorient if needed, instead of tensing up.
Actively release a calf cramp: Roll onto your back, pull your toes towards your body – active counter-stretching beats fighting it.
Panic is the real danger: It's not the cramp alone – panic combined with swimming alone and poor visibility is what turns dangerous.

Pro tip: Put on buoy, cap and wetsuit before every single entry – even at your usual lake, even when you feel strong. Open water doesn't forgive complacency: visibility isn't an exception, it's your fixed ritual before every metre.