Dear fellow swimmers

It’s August bank holiday here in the UK, which means there are only a few weeks left of summer. People are already asking me if they should start preparing for winter swimming! Maybe (see below for details), but don’t write off the summer yet. September is packed with open water events. Swimming events can be a lot of fun and they can be a great way to boost your swimming confidence, too. Check out our featured events at the bottom of this email and sign up today. If you want to join me anywhere, I’ll be at Loch Lomond on 2 September, Swim Serpentine on 16 September and then in Montenegro from 29 September for Ultraswim33.3.
 

TOP TIPS

Boost your confidence – do an event!

It sounds counter-intuitive but doing an open water swimming event can boost your swimming confidence, says Simon Griffiths.

Read more...

FEATURE

The Ripple Effect 

Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan return with a new book, The Ripple Effect: A Celebration of Britain’s Brilliant Wild Swimming Communities. Read an extract here. 

Read more... 

OUTDOOR SWIMMER EXTRA

How to master bilateral breathing 

“I’ve been told I need to do bilateral breathing for open water swimming but I can’t! What should I do?” Simon Griffiths has your guide. (Premium content). 

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Achieve your 2024 swimming goals
 

Commit to a six-month personalised one-to-one winter swim-booster course with Outdoor Swimmer founder Simon Griffiths to swim better than ever next year. Limited places.

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EVENTS COMING SOON 

(sponsored content)

SEPTEMBER

GO SWIM LOCH LOMOND (250m, 750m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 10000m)
2 September | Loch Lomond, Balloch
Find out more...  

GAELFORCE GREAT FJORD SWIM (750m, 2km, 3.9km)
9 September | Connemara, Ireland
Find out more...  

THE BIG BRUTAL SWIM (2.5k, 5k and 10k)
10 September | Llanberis, North Wales
Find out more...  

SWIM WALES CHALLENGE SERIES (500m, 1.5km, 3km, 4x500m relay)
16 September | Llys-y-Frân, Pembrokeshire
Find out more...  

GO SWIM LOCH MORLICH (250m, 750m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 10000m)
16 September | Aviemore
Find out more...  

MARINERS MILE (500m, half mile, 1 mile)
23 September | Cheshunt
Find out more...  

SWIM CASCAIS '23 (1km, 1.9km, 3.8km, 5km, 10km, 20km)
23 September | Cascais, Portugal
Find out more...  

ULTRASWIM 33.3 #2 MONTENEGRO (33km, 6 swims over 4 days)
29 Sep-3 Oct | Herceg Novi, Montenegro
Find out more...  

SWIMTHEISLAND – GOLFO DELL'ISOLA (800m, 1.1km, 1.8km, 3.5km, 6km)
30 Sep-1 Oct | Bergeggi, Italy
Find out more...  

OCTOBER

PROM'SWIM (500m, 1km, 2km, 5km, 10km)

7 October | Nice, France
Find out more...  

GREAT BARRIER REEF OCEAN SWIM SERIES (1km, 3km, 5km)

21 October | Port Douglas, North Queensland
Find out more...  

COOL MILE, TAL Y LLYN (1 mile)
28 October | Gwynedd, North Wales
Find out more...  

Find an event on our website. To promote your event here, please email stuart@outdoorswimmer.com. 

WIN GREAT PRIZES

Win an ultimate outdoor swimming bundle worth £400 

Ahead of our appearance at Car Fest 2023 next weekend, we’ve teamed up with Zone3 and Swim Secure to offer you the chance to win one of three ultimate outdoor swimming bundles worth £400

Enter to win... 

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

Back on the subject of winter as, however much I want to deny it, it is coming, and now is a good time to start preparing if you want to continue swimming outside. This is especially true if this will be your first year of winter swimming. If you’re not already a member of an outdoor swimming group, then I recommend joining one or starting one. Winter swimming is safer and more fun with other people. Also, give some thought to where you will swim. If you’re going to use neoprene accessories, now could be a good time to buy.

For more advice on getting started, see our 'Nine tips to get you ready for cold water swimming' or check out the dedicated section on our website to explore the topic in more depth.

Meanwhile, make the most of the bank holiday weekend and enjoy the water while it’s still warm.

Simon Griffiths 

Founder & publisher 

Lead photo: The Ripple Effect, by Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan