Open water swimming vs Pool swimming

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Dec 2018
6:07pm, 12 Dec 2018
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jamesmcf
Hi Swimming Fetchies,
Looking for advice, thoughts etc from the collective Fetchie brains.

I've just signed up for the Great North Swim - 5k. There is a cut off time of 2 hours.
When I swim in the pool I am just on that pace and slightly worried I will get picked up in the trawler net or whatever they use to pick up the slow swimmers at the back.
However I am not a slow swimmer and quite confident / comfortable in the water - am I missing something?

Having done a couple of open water triathlons this year I'm faster in the open water - how does that work??
I've treated the swim in the triathlons as a warm up to the rest of the exercise, I'm not going for times just for the experience.
Is it quicker swimming in open water in a suit that in a pool with turns slowing me down??

Thanks for your comments,

James
Dec 2018
6:11pm, 12 Dec 2018
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sallykate
Is OW swimming in a wetsuit faster because of extra buoyancy?
Dec 2018
9:55pm, 12 Dec 2018
3,576 posts
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Sweetie
A lot of swimmers are faster in a wetsuit, as sallykate says, you have extra buoyancy, in particular a wetsuit lifts your legs higher so you create less drag in open water than you would in the pool.
You might also benefit from currents in a sea swim - although of course that can also work against you!

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Maintained by jamesmcf
Hi Swimming Fetchies,
Looking for advice, thoughts etc from the collective Fetchie brains.

I&apo...

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