Guides · 16 guides · 152 min of reading
Know the water.
Local guides to the places people swim, checked against the official sources, and the basics of swimming in open water safely.
Featured Guides
Ocean Swimming for Beginners: Your Complete Guide
Start ocean swimming with confidence. Learn to navigate waves, escape rip currents, sight in open water, and follow an 8-week progression plan for beginners.
Cold Water Swimming: Acclimatization, Safety, and Benefits
Master cold water swimming with acclimatization protocols, cold shock survival, wetsuit and gear advice, safe exposure times by temperature, and proven mental health benefits.
Open Water Swimming Safety: The Complete Guide
Stay safe in open water with this complete guide to risk assessment, safety gear, hypothermia prevention, emergency signaling, and reading conditions before you swim.
All Guides
Best Florida Springs for Swimming: A Local Guide
Where to swim in Florida's springs: water temperatures, reservations, capacity closures, manatee season, tubing rules and cave safety at 10 popular springs.
How to Check Water Quality Before You Swim in England
Bathing water ratings, pollution risk forecasts, sewage alerts and overflow maps explained, plus rainfall rules of thumb and what to do after a storm swim.
How to Check Florida Beach Water Before You Swim
Check a Florida beach before you swim: Healthy Beaches bacteria results, FWC red tide map, beach warning flags, rip current forecasts and advisories after rain.
Swimming at Hampstead Heath Ponds: A Local Guide
Kenwood Ladies', Highgate Men's and the Mixed Pond: who each is for, booking, winter hours, water temperatures by month, safety rules and how to get there.
Swimming at La Jolla Cove: A Local Guide
How to swim La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores: reserve rules, sea lion closures, lifeguards, water temperatures by season and what to do in a rip current.
Lake Tahoe Swimming: Water Temperature and Beaches
How cold Lake Tahoe gets, when it's warmest, cold-shock and altitude safety, afternoon wind, and access notes for Sand Harbor, Commons Beach and Pope Beach.
London Lidos and Open-Water Swims: A Local Guide
Tooting Bec, Brockwell, Parliament Hill, London Fields and the Serpentine, plus the Hampstead ponds: size, heating, winter opening and how to book each one.
Swimming at Aquatic Park, San Francisco
A local guide to swimming Aquatic Park Cove: NPS rules, the Dolphin Club and South End day passes, water temperatures, currents, boats and closures after rain.
Swimming Walden Pond and Cape Cod's Kettle Ponds
How to swim Walden Pond and Cape Cod's kettle ponds: what a kettle pond is, DCR and town rules, parking, cyanobacteria advisories and water temperatures.
Where to Swim in NYC: Beaches, Water Quality, Groups
Open-water swimming in New York City: Coney Island, Rockaway and Orchard Beach, lifeguard rules, rain and sewage advisories, water temps and swim groups.
Open Water Swimming Gear Guide: Everything You Need
Complete open water swimming gear guide covering goggles, wetsuits, tow floats, safety equipment, and budget recommendations for every level.
8-Week Open Water Swimming Training Plan
Follow this progressive 8-week open water swimming training plan to transition from pool swimming to confident open water performance.
Understanding Water Conditions for Open Water Swimming
Learn to read waves, tides, currents, wind, and water temperature before your swim. Understand how SwimScore turns raw conditions into a simple 0-100 rating.
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