This weekend I had the opportunity to do an open water swim with a group of experienced swimmers. I met my group by the bank of the Manasquan River in Point Pleasant. There was a nice little beach and I jumped right in. While I was the only swimmer without a wet suit I was excited about the experience and was not going to be deterred by a little 67 degree water.

This was the first time in my swimming training that I was out of the pool. As would be expected the experience swimming in the open water is totally different than swimming in a pool. The pool is clear with well marked lanes and a painted line on the pool floor to follow.

The river was dark and cold with no clear markers. There was also a slight tide to contend with. As I started out on my swim I found it extremely difficult to stay on course. I was consistently wider to the left or right of my markers.

All in all this was a great learning experience. I know my swimming has improved greatly over the last few months. I have been putting my extra training day to my swimming and it has been paying off. I will have the opportunity to do a few more open water swimming clinic before my first race and I am going to take advantage of them. Focus on open water navigation.