“The Salton Sea is no longer a place most of us would want to swim. Once upon a time, it was a great place for marathon swimmers to frolic and the glitterati to play. Now, however, it stands as a stark warning of how a changing planet and water management issues can spell disaster for our favorite open water swimming venues around the globe.”

In the 1950s Salton Sea was a beach-lover’s paradise and playground of the rich and famous. All that glitz captured the attention of many swimmers, and it soon became a fixture on the marathon swimming scene. Now the Salton Sea is dying.

In the September issue of Outdoor Swimmer award-winning journalist and marathon swimmer Elaine K Howley investigates the weird history of California’s largest but rapidly shrinking lake and issues a stark warning about the effect of global warming on our lakes, rivers and seas. You can pre-order your copy here.  

“The Fastnet swim has taken me four years of trying and training. To finally complete it this year is a great relief. Obsession is in us all.”

On 20 July, Stephen Redmond set off from Baltimore harbour at 4am to attempt to be the first person to complete the 45km swim from Baltimore in Ireland to the Fastnet Rock and back.

“In darkness ‘shaking hands with the monster’ was very difficult and I was quite terrified at the start. Letting go is often the hardest thing.”

Read Stephen’s story of his swim in the September issue of Outdoor Swimmer magazine.

The September issue of Outdoor Swimmer magazine is one of hope. It is our first printed magazine since the coronavirus crisis forced us to become a digital-only magazine in May. This special edition celebrates challenges overcome and dreams fulfilled despite the current situation. Adventure may be closer to home, but there are still adventures to be had – big and small. Proving that age is no barrier, we talk to the man who did 105 Ironmans at 60; six women and their nail-biting Channel relay that nearly ended in failure; the first ever swim to The Goodwin Sands, 8km off the Kent coast; the young adventurer who swam all the lakes in the Lake District; Olympic open water swimmers Keri-anne Payne and Cassie Patten explore how to recover from shattered dreams; and the story of a record-breaking English Channel backstroke swim.

Plus, outdoor swimming news, training & technique, nature & wildlife, travel UK and abroad, open water safety advice, gear reviews and issue seven of Swimrunner, our swimrun section.

This special edition issue will not be available in shops. To ensure you receive your copy, please pre-order now below.

The September issue costs £5.95 plus P&P (UK £1.00, Europe £2.50, RoW £3.50)

112 pages, perfect bound, printed in full colour on FSC approved paper in the United Kingdom