Swimming in Rough and Choppy Water - Open Water Swimming with swim-art.com

Swimming in Rough and Choppy Water - Open Water Swimming with swim-art.com.
This video will teach you the skills you need to swim comfortably in rough and choppy open water conditions. Includes tips for breathing, stroke technique, and relaxation skills.

[@CDeIzcue]

Thanks Leslie, Your videos have helped me enormously during my first open waters experience in 5.5 K swim from San Lorenzo Island to La Punta yesterday. I got lost from sight and ended up completely alone, or so I thought, nobody around me, no kayaks to be seen for a good part of my swim. I´m sure i swam more then 6k due to the current and my lack of experience. Waters got a bit choppy and the wind picked up. It was mostly your tips on mental factors which helped make it to the finish line.

[@praveenkatlinge2417]

Kudos🤘👌👏

[@janakbhalodia]

You missed out on the most important breathing technique, which is breathing on the side away from the direction of the waves. This obviously works only if you are able to breath bilaterally.

[@Rory626]

My left ear really enjoyed this video

[@mjb4983]

Swimming open sea for 3 years now...gets better and I love chop

[@33Jenesis]

Thank you Coach Leslie for these tips. I an a swim newbie thus open water is a distant dream. However I watch thus video to memorize how to in case I got tossed into open water…..

[@PatriciaPaynter]

This is a great video. I live in Bermuda and was "taught" to swim as a 5-year old (I'm now 57) by two older boy cousins who simply threw me off the back of a row boat! Inspired by the 2012 Summer Olympics, I've decided to take advantage of our beautiful ocean surroundings and swim daily for exercise and the salt water benefits. This video provides the best formal training I've ever been exposed to. Thank you!!!

[@thej2756]

this vid is 12 years old, today was my first time taking on really choppy water, and even now, this vid is very real and relevant to me. thank you for making this vid. i think that mental element is a good one. especially when swimming alone, but also swimming with mates help as well.

[@digchilli]

Thank you for the great open water swimming advice Leslie.

[@gracegilpin7528]

I found the video helpful after struggling in a very rough lake! Thanks!

[@MyraSchwartz]

Wish I'd seen this video before I attempted my first open water triathlon that was super choppy last weekend.

[@anthonydsouza4011]

Thanks..wonderful..just learning to swim at 63..I am talking to myself...I can do it.

[@Nabilazh15]

it's great for me to listen, greetings from Indonesia

[@sabrinadevine5838]

Thanks for doing this video I'm new to open water swimming.

[@MakaiGenovese]

I love your videos thanks so much but would you please break down: how to relax with core engaged and in one video you said to blow out all of the air but in this one to save some air. Could you please break down both methods?

[@daTERRORIZER]

The three most important things for WHATEVER is it you want to master are, Practice, Practice, PRACTICE. Always keep in mind that it will never get any easier cause the better you get at it the more you want to do. This is what I tell myself everyday I wake up alive: >>>The only easy day was yesterday!

[@richmoran5915]

Today, during 10 mph winds, I swam 1.5 miles at Lake Phalen, MN in 56 min. 23 sec. This was the choppiest water I have ever swam in and I killed it! This video on youtube helped me improve my technique, and get the most out of my power to accomplish this personal best. Up until today I had some fear of being in choppy open water even with a swim bouy. Not anymore.

[@triathlongeek]

Thank you for posting this video. I did Alcatraz in 2002 and 2003 going for the third time in 2013. I will be going for the open swims with Coach Pedro on as many Sundays as I can get in between now and March..

[@avisupchurch]

Just did my first open water race yesterday and the water conditions were about the same as the water in this video... the waves really kicked my ass! I'd done a couple practice lake swims in what I had thought was "rough water," but then on race day it was like swimming in a washing machine. One thing I regret is not having practiced a variety of breathing patterns... I normally do every 3 strokes but due to the waves this pattern just wasn't possible. Also wish I'd seen this video first!

[@marktheshark711]

Thanks for the post. I have my first race this summer and I'm nervous, but this video gave me some tools I can work on and get me ready

[@tri4autism]

The last section, huge thanks for mentioning that! My biggest struggle is the mental part and honestly experience in those conditions, thanks for the mental tips and I'm looking into some open water races to just work on the swimming by itself.

[@henriknillund9755]

This is a very good and helpful video by a person who knows what she is talking about! I swim in Sweden in cold water and I think its one of the best tutorials ever ( and it is whithout the usual overexplaning american style )YES!

[@ijohannesen2694]

Thanks so much for this video. I did a 2K yesterday and your mental advice helped a lot. I knew what to expect (being kicked, swallowing water). So glad I saw this before, kept cool and didn't fight the water.

[@mahmouddennawi1352]

I wish i watched your videos way before now. Thank you Leslie you are a great coach.

[@harleyshoaf4916]

Thank you, Leslie , you are a wonderful teacher.😊👌

[@michaelclark978]

I'm preparing for the golden gate swim in a few months, this has been very helpful. I'm excited and hoped for the experience of swimming in the bay again. I did the Alcatraz swim a while back. It's the single most satisfying thing I've done in my life.

[@praveenkatlinge2417]

Nice to hear☺️

[@Orome20]

I have a question. It seems freestyle is the preferred stroke for open water but how well does breaststroke work if you are caught in rough waves? I swim laps and have good technique with breast stroke but for whatever reason I can never get my breathing right with freestyle and quickly wind up out of breath.

[@mohamedabdelwahhab3630]

Thank you very much, you just answered all the questions I had in mind, it helps me a lot, it's difficult to find all these tips and answers in one video, thank you!

[@claudiadeavila5768]

"anchor" when swimming in rough water? hmm I never heard about that and sounds very interesting... do you have a video explaining this technique?

[@mjb4983]

Brillant Video

[@echoalicia2011]

Can you make a video on the technique you use for long distance swimming? I know long distance swimmers have a different stroke than sprinter swimmers.

[@saswimvideos]

@Jerry1SKI Well done in your race!! Sounds challenging! Brain freeze goes away with more exposure to cold water - so the more you can acclimate in cold water, the easier and more comfortable it will be! Or, you can use a neoprene swim cap - that will keep your head a little warmer. Breathing every two is fine! Make sure you roll your body to breathe - that will make it easier to breathe in choppy water. Some of the dizziness may have been from the chop. Video about breathing to come soon!

[@praveenkatlinge2417]

😎

[@Vid1774]

Getting ready for my first open swim ever!!! Hopefully I don't mess up by going away from the course

[@durjaybhattacharia8479]

Helped me swim the seas comfortably at an advanced age via this video

[@Suzally1]

Best OWS instruction video ever! Wish I’d seen before my first. But still tons to learn. Will watch often

[@martini1223]

great video, I'm going for my first olympic distance tri at Ventura CA and this video really helps, gracias !!!!

[@brentbarney4891]

I just DNFed in a Tri today, Rough choppy water, got workout fighting the waves coming at me in lake mead. the video is great. By the way, how effective is a breast stroke in rough water, could I do this for a few minutes and make any progress when the wind and waves are in your face during a Triathlon swim.

[@saswimvideos]

Hi Brent, sorry to hear that. I've heard horror stories about Mead. And sometimes we have off days and the water gets the better of us. Don't sweat it. Great idea! Breastroke can be very effective, because at least you can see the water coming at you and will know when to breathe and when not to. It will also make sighting easier. The more experience you have in rough water, the easier it will get. Your skills and confidence will build the more you do it. Good luck and have fun. Leslie

[@saswimvideos]

Hello Hal. Thanks for your comments. Glad the video was helpful. Yes, you can use that wetsuit to swim in cold water. It will work moderately well. If you decide you really like cold open water swimming and plan to do a lot of it, you will want to buy a swimming wetsuit - in the states we call it a Triathlon Suit. It will keep you warmer and will be easier to move in. Have fun with the swimming! Leslie

[@clarkewi]

San Francisco Bay is freezing. No wetsuits?

[@maxamedsanweyne2599]

When I swim most problem I faced is water enter my mouth and then I lost control how I can solve that?

[@kirubakaranbabu6261]

Hi Leslie.. Nice information, good explanation.. Everyday practice is more important in the beginning stage..

[@gregsmith4102]

Thanks for the video. I love open water swimming, usually starting from a surf beach. I don't do a lot of it, but what I do I really enjoy. My big problem is that I tend to swim in circles, surprisingly tight ones. In a pool it is easy - there are lines on the bottom. But in the ocean and in the harbour there are no lines, and often I can't see the bottom anyway. So, I find myself stopping to sight very frequently which both interrupts the flow and slows me down. It is not helped by my poor vision. I take your point about sighting while swimming and I will try to practice it, Any tips for swimming in a straighter line?

[@kb-tn8ku]

Contacts and goggles and work on ur form

[@lisettesvision]

I owe you a smoothie when I visit San Francisco!! Marvelous.

[@Michael-4]

Triathletes seem to swim with short choppy strokes with a high turnover. Here it's suggesting the opposite in open water. Or am I missing something?

[@aaaaaaaaaaawyaa]

From what I can tell, the quicker stroke rate in open water is due to the fact that things like water turbidity, wind, and chop negatively impact a swimmer's ability to glide through water like they can in a pool. That said, a lot of factors affect pace: your height, the size of your feet and hands, the ratio of your height to arm span, etc. So depending on your body, different stroke rates can be ideal. But if you have the strength to maintain a higher stroke rate over distance and want to race, the higher rate will always give you more strokes and therefore a better pace. There are of course differing philosophies on this, but a quick view of the Olympic open water 10k will show you that none of those swimmers rely on gliding over a high stroke rate. Then again, not everyone needs to swim a race every time out. Nothing wrong with slow stroke rates, they're simply not as fast.

[@Brulluhman]

I've done 10 km (6,25 miles) in the swimming pool, but I would love to start doing 5 km in open water. When I like it, I would like to try 10 km. Do you also take food and energy drinks with you, when you're doing long distances? With breathing it's just a little bit timing with the waves right? At least I've tried a few laps in the wave bath.

[@ChiDraconis]

Food should be taken ~ 1 hour before get in the water ~ build up to open water not 1-Km on first attempt as it is different with differing rescue strategy - Endurance ! *build endurance* as that is what you need rather than accomplished swimming → pretty much anything to keep your head where you can get air then build by acclimatization at least a minimum of 6 months ~ I am not any strong swimmer but have gone intentionally into waters that scared even a local surfer going off the beach shelf in ripp in a storm surge at night with no risk to rescue … learn panic moderation as some panic assists what is needed but either too much or scant is an even greater risk than what we might think > If you pack energy type stuff leave it on the beach for when you get back as you will need it > Moderation and practice = build up gradually no hero stuff

[@Brulluhman]

@@ChiDraconis I did build up and recently swam with a friend of mine who also happens to be a lifeguard and surf instructor 10km in the North Sea at Ameland. We had a couple of sup boarders nearby. The hardest part was .. walking all the way back. :) It was pretty cool.. each beach pavilion you saw people watching .. like "where are they going"..

[@petermaguire3948]

great video , worth watching, ps good 5mm suits called slinx on aliexpress for swimming in cold water like ireland all year round, with 7 mm socks , orca hats ,two at 3 mm each and one pair or tribord 3mm gloves with sealed wrists for sale at decathlon , just got in from an hour in over a metre high, waves, at 65 great fun

[@Husseinali-gf5vl]

can you do a video showing the resting (on the back)?

[@dennisalters702]

Excellent review many thanks Coach Leslie!

[@moo6672]

Thanks 👍, great video. I mostly do breaststroke at sea, because I can keep going longer. And because I sometimes get into a panic about breath when I do front crawl (over arm)... Have you any tips about doing breaststroke at sea? I know this message is coming a very long time since this video, but if you're still sharing open sea swimming tips, I'd be happy to hear. Thanks 👍

[@mjb4983]

Breastroke is great ...less stressful on the muscles....Enjoy

[@StreetSurfinn]

great video, this is THE video we all need please upload more

[@jameshallfishing3377]

Loved the video. You packed a whole lot of info into it. That's excellent. It would be cool if you could keep on making videos like this, helps a lot

[@chuckpotter1209]

Great video, I have watched this a few times. I get sea sick just watching this video.

[@Peekingduck]

You can but you may feel cold pretty soon though. Make sure you try it out before you do it in a race to know what to expect. It's not the nicest of feelings but doable depending on how long you are planning on swimming. Best of luck :)

[@00107618]

Great video. Great style. Very good advice and like the focus on mind conditioning as well. I would like to ask a question. I have a 5/4mm wet suite that is for kite surfing. Can I use this in cold water swimming? I only swam in open waters in warm climates but now in the UK, its always cold! Thanks Hal

[@tetegrondona7915]

there are special wetsuits for swimming. the thing with the wetsuits used for surfing or other water sports is that they offer too much resistance in the shoulders. that is what I think. I swim with a surf wetsuit but I cut off circles around the shoulders, because the suits specially for swimming are quite expensive. but I don't think that will work in very cold waters, I swim i 20 degrees water.

[@robertengelhart]

Thank You for your videito. I live in the Marianna Islands and swim in a reef protected cove it is very large and has choppy water and a very strong current at times. Your video was very insightful for us Island swimmers. We a have many challenging situtations in our ocean. Thank you

[@thepatternforms859]

2:45 “spit don’t swallow when it comes in your mouth” …. LMAO

[@nanettereyessenior5384]

Great tips...thank you. Training now for the Cocos Crossing (2.2 mi) here on Guam...Memorial Day weekend 2016!

[@paulhetherington3854]

Lift head - for look outs, is a must! Added experience - lowers threshold - for more of, a leisure - and breathe. Reminds me ov: Oregon Gg'orje - Gorge. Colder indeed there.

[@alexeaton3831]

i have dine a distance swimmer for year and it is the most amazing feel being in open water all by your self no floation with you and miles from shore

[@tetegrondona7915]

you should ALWAYS take a flotation device, very irresponsible not to.

[@sosomalick9417]

Thank you so much for your tips ❤

[@ronedmiston3272]

Can u use above water strike

[@harshgada7688]

It is so encouraging,amazing too.. While just looking at video..but it's truly awesome.. Thank you ma'am... 👍👍👌👌😇🤗👑👑👑🙇🙇🙇🙏🙏

[@annettecuke7523]

It looked SO Scary!!😮

[@saswimvideos]

Hi Orome20, great question. Someone above just asked about breastroke, too. It is an excellent stroke to use in open water, especially rough water. You might take a look at our open water breathing video, too! Have fun, Leslie

[@tassiematt]

Thank you. What a great video and excellent info to help me in my next 70.3

[@Tottabolo]

hi, can i swim without a wetsuit in water that is 11 celsius degrees hot?

[@RyanKellyWx]

What do you do to not get eaten by a Great White in SF Bay?

[@Benzknees]

Or to not eat a great black turd...

[@shaiksufiyan4646]

How to float in ocean if we have loosed strength..

[@dimitargeorgiev5732]

Great explanation! Thank you!

[@NeillWylie]

That demo swimmer's pretty boss!

[@1rudedudette1]

I can't see any whitecaps. Rough and choppy water is there when the waves are at least 1 meter high

[@wetbivybag]

White caps are only in high whipping winds. She is describing how to swim in rough water. The water she is demonstrating is choppy but what did you expect...for her to wait until there was a gale force storm and head to make a video? Wise up buster! Where's your vid?

[@G1yndyfrdwy]

Whitecaps at 3.57, these appear at a Force 3 over wave, perhaps less if wind over tide. waves will also break in a tiderace or an overflow, and really, you are best in a kayak there, not swimming!

[@retribution999]

What about sharks, crocodiles, piranha fish and submerged rocks, strokes and heart attacks?

[@cpcoronel]

Great and very useful video!!! :) Thanks!!!

[@saswimvideos]

@Tottabolo I would not call 11 celsius HOT, but yes you can. With proper training, slow and steady acclimation that would be possible. Do not swim too much at once at that temperature.

[@mikelampathakis7514]

thank you .very important information

[@steveward2394]

Very informative. Using a lake for practice and I see a big difference from pool.

[@TavgaHawrame]

she is incredibly perfect teacher

[@manumolinaz]

thanks for the tips!

[@mayuresh1704]

Great, highly informative and insightful video!

[@hamideddaifi5615]

very good teachings thanks lot

[@nourelislamlounis3328]

we need videos how to free dive but only 5m only for example and how i can not float if am just 2 m down bcoz i need to take orchins sometimes

[@TheShishashiful]

Wow incredible talent. I want to learn swimming from you. i am from South India

[@annawoodland7790]

shyloo sharmi oh you should definitely try swimming in the sea. I've lived next to the ocean since j was 5 and my grandparents on one side have a pool and the other side have a yacht so I've spent most of my life swimming and around water. If you live near the sea I defiantly think you should swim in the sea. It's more fun than a pool ☺️

[@_Auroswim._.Ocean_Swimming]

I can teach you :-)

[@walterallen8478]

Thank you!

[@saswimvideos]

Hi Adrian, Feel free to email me with specific questions you have. Only allowed 500 characters to respond here. I strongly suggest that you try open water swimming at least once (ideally in the SF Bay) before doing Alcatraz, to know what to expect when you jump off the boat. Cold water and chop are the biggest challenges. Alcatraz is tricy to navigate, too, so be confident and comfortable with your Sighting (we have a video for that!). You'll have a great time, though - that's a very fun swim!

[@MsMesem]

Relax and respond too and feel the energy and period of the waves. Swim parallel to them but be ready for the one that dumps on your head! Know when its time to go back to the beach (your limits) and time or adust your arrival if the waves are dumping on a steep beach.

[@prashanthabhat5497]

Nice...Nowadays you are not adding videos? Please add. Thanks.

[@mistervova11]

rolling on back only works for certain bodyfat percentage, low bodyfat percentage under 10% and u will have hard time to stay afloat on ur back. Remember this. When i was a kid i could swim easily on my back in normal water, then when i grow up and have low bodyfat i cant even do it in sea

[@MakaiGenovese]

may I ask what you do instead?

[@ahmetakar5017]

Each one of your videos and tips are sooo.. how can I say; more valuable than a diamond mine miss ashley thank you very very much. cruise liner Ahmet ISTANBUL

[@joshor123]

Great video!

[@nixontiu]

Seems to be no audio, after the first part on Desktop with Firefox Browser on Windows Xp. Ok on mobile though

[@user-zj4gz9tr8s]

well am off 2 loch lomond in scotland in the morn for 1 mile swim !! i will try and do what this vid says lol ,,,

[@sainte5]

a mental tip I was gven was to stick to a "safe" plan, one you are comfortable with

[@webuygold67]

GR8 STYLE!!!!!

[@katharinajohn1339]

THANK YOU IT IS LIFE SAVER !!

[@markymarco2570]

Don't you have sharks in San Francisco?

[@aaaaaaaaaaawyaa]

Marky Marco it's more of an issue on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, but even there, it's not a huge concern. There's only been one fatality by shark that I could find, and that was back in 1957. There are people who have swum to Alcatraz and back hundreds of times. The safety issues to really pay attention to are boat traffic and your own abilities. Know where to swim, bring a safety kayaker to keep you safe if you're going to leave Aquatic Park, and have fun!

[@MountainVisions]

I worry more about getting hit by a meteor watching TV at home. But that's just me.

[@amertuhul5696]

thank you great video

[@jaws978]

I searched thru a bunch of comments nobody mentioned 2:46 "you don't have to swallow when it cums in your mouth" Hopefully I will never need this tip but knowledge is power :-)

[@adamx1748]

if it does come in your mouth just spit it out as it is salty, don't swallow. if it comes on your face just close your eyes and think happy thoughts.

[@DominicJToedt]

jaws978 HAHAHA

[@shubhrantkhare9439]

I am so excited just seeing it

[@sgmaths]

Thank You...! It has been very informative...!

[@mjb4983]

Swimming in open seas for 3 years now. Still swallow water and get tossed around but fear is a little less