In times when swimming pools are closed for a while. The question comes regularly. Shall I go for a swim in open water? It seems so tempting for now. However, take your measurements. Just put your head underwater and let it all go. Enjoying the open water now that the pools are closed with lifeguard class near me.



I really can't wait to go swimming. Even the dirtiest locks sometimes suddenly seem attractive. Just in the water. Go for a swim.. Just feel that physical fatigue that is so nice after swimming.

But it is not so easy to start swimming in open water during this colder period. In this blog I want to take you through the points of attention that come with open water swimming at low temperatures with American lifeguard Association Vienna.

Risks of untrained open water swimming in cold water

The temperature of open water

Actually until the water outside is 12/14 degrees, it is not recommended for untrained open water swimmers to go outside. Not even with a wetsuit . You can, but you have to build it up. And with that build up you start from the warmer periods.

There are plenty of swimmers who now swim outside, even without a suit. Such as ice swimmers or well-trained open water swimmers. Mind you, these are trained open water swimmers. They have built this up over the year (or years) and train it all year round with American lifeguard Va.



Keeping and Getting Warm – The Biggest Challenge

The biggest challenge is keeping warm. And that takes a lot of energy. Staying warm while swimming, but especially after to warm up again. This is at the expense of your resistance. If your body needs a lot of energy to warm up and recover, your body has less energy left for other things. That makes you a bit more susceptible to diseases (for untrained swimmers, that is, for trained swimmers it is different).

Do you still want to swim in cold water? 3 points of attention

Can't wait? Are you well trained? And would you still like to swim in cold water? Then keep the following 5 important points in mind:

1. Safety first – Check the expected conditions

But also include another weather app in your preparation. Thunderstorms are the greatest danger to open water swimming. Then you certainly don't want to lie in the water. So prepare yourself well for the weather conditions.

For inexperienced open water swimmers, it may be a good idea to bring a thermometer as well. And also check the temperature on site yourself. The water temperature can drop very sharply with wind, rain and/or night frost, so it is smarter to go shorter.

2. Never

go alone Never go alone. Always go with a swim buddy. Or someone watching you from the side. Also bring a swimming buoy . These are not that expensive to buy and can be life savers. Make sure that the buoy has sufficient buoyancy for you.

3. If necessary, use a wetsuit

Ice swimmers simply swim in swimwear. And the seasoned trained open water swimmer too. But for most of us, a wetsuit is a good investment. It helps in keeping you warm (and also supports the position). Make sure you purchase a special open water wetsuit. The surf wetsuits are insufficiently suitable. These are the same thickness everywhere and therefore limit the freedom of movement, especially in your arms. An open water swimming wetsuit is a bit thinner in those places so that you can swim optimally.