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Get smarter about open water.
Plain-English guides on safety, gear, training, and travel — written for swimmers who actually swim outside.
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Easing into sub-15°C water without a wetsuit takes a season, not a weekend.
A simple framework for deciding when to wear neoprene — and when to leave it at home.
The boring rules that keep people from becoming statistics.
A primer on the three forces that decide whether your swim is fun or terrifying.
How to bring your swim history from Garmin or Strava into your OpenWaterSpots profile.
Sighting too often, breathing too shallow, starting too fast — and the fixes.
TutorialConnecting Your Watch — Garmin, Apple, Suunto, Fitbit, Coros, Polar
Photo: Luke Chesser / Unsplash
A 30-second toggle on your watch app makes every swim flow into OpenWaterSpots automatically.
Swimming After Dark — Conditions, Kit, and the Rules That Keep It Safe
Night swimming is one of open water's great pleasures — and one of its most underestimated hazards.
TutorialTrack Your First GPS Swim — Recording a Route on OpenWaterSpots
Photo: Dawn Patrol Surf Tracking / Unsplash
How to start, pause, and save a live GPS route from your phone.
Electric Storms and Open Water — When to Get Out and When to Stay Out
Lightning and open water is one of the most dangerous combinations in outdoor sport. The rules are simple; the hard part is following them.