Into the Blue

Joys and Challenges of Open Water Vacations

By Deborah Gaines

After a lifetime of swim team practice and laps at the local pool, Jean Rutter got tired of following the black line. That's when she tapped into the global community—more like a cult, really—of open water swimming.

"All water is a magnet for me," Rutter says. "I've swum in the Hudson River, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, two Great Lakes, and across the Allegheny River in my hometown of Pittsburgh."

But it was on her first group swim vacation, to Greece, that Rutter found her people. "As a woman in my fifties, I felt somewhat intimidated about traveling alone to a foreign country. So I decided to combine my interests."

Rutter met up with The Big Blue Swim, a Greek-owned swimming holiday company, on the island of Lefkada. For the next week, her group explored the untouched beaches, little-known islands, and rugged coastlines of the Ionian Sea.

The swimmers stayed at a hotel on the island, boarding a traditional sailing boat each morning to cruise to the starting point for the day's adventure. Support boats accompanied them along the three-mile route, which included lunch stops at waterfront tavernas.

The group became so close that they've reunited on other vacations, including a Big Blue Swim in Crete.

A leap of faith

Although Elaine Van S. Carmichael is a competent swimmer, she was "a little daunted" at the idea of spending 4-5 hours a day in the water on a snorkeling trip to Raja Ampat, Indonesia. But she couldn't pass up the opportunity to explore the most biodiverse marine habitat on the planet, so she joined friends for a Wilderness Travel adventure including extensive daily swims.

The experience was "magical," Carmichael says. "Every dive increased my confidence and joy. I saw millions of fish, floated with a manta ray, and even got to swim across the equator."

The 10-person group slept onboard an Indonesian Schooner as it threaded the waterways of the remote archipelago. As for the swimming, "We were usually floating with the current, so it wasn’t as strenuous as I had feared. Our guides and the support boat were with us every step of the way."

Wilderness Travel also offers snorkeling vacations in Palau and Wakatobi National Park. Other vacation swim companies include SwimTrek, with more than 50 exotic destinations including Egypt, Croatia, Bali, and Vietnam; and Swimquest, a British tour operator catering to "all tastes and abilities," including cold-water swims in the U.K. and Channel Islands.

Who should go?

You don't have to be a triathlete or competitive swimmer to enjoy open water vacations, but you should be comfortable in the ocean. The Big Blue Swim asks that you be able to swim a mile at an easy pace. Most swim vacations cover between one and four miles a day.

Likewise, there are no age restrictions other than being over 18 (younger swimmers can sometimes join with adult supervision). Your doctor should evaluate you and give a final okay.

Getting ready

Experts agree that the most important thing you can do is build your endurance. "In a perfect world, you should be able to swim twice the distance of a typical open water session in a pool," says Paul Fowler, founder and coach at 100% Swimming.

Rutter recommends the MySwimPro app, which?generates interesting pool workouts and pairs ingeniously with fitness devices. Fares Ksbati, the developer, also offers free instructional videos on?YouTube.?Effortless Swimming?and?SwimGym?are other YouTube destinations to consider for swimming technique.

In addition, if the itinerary represents a stretch in either distance or swim conditions, it's worth training with a private coach. Rutter says, "I worked with Triumph Coaching for 10 weeks before my Crete trip and could have used a few more sessions to build speed."

Special gear includes a wet suit (although you may not need one in warm water) along with two sets of UV-protective goggles. Most companies provide bright-colored swim caps (not white) for visibility, along with packing lists tailored to each location.

If you're looking for motivation, pick up a copy of journalist Bonnie Tsui's Why We Swim (Algonquin Books, 2020). Equal parts history and memoir, it will either inspire you to dive in or send you running for higher ground.

And if you still have any doubts, Rutter recommends this introductory video from The Big Blue Swim. "It's exactly like the experience. I defy any swimmer to resist."

The Great Travel Experiment is a monthly newsletter, free to LinkedIn members, that explores new ways to see the world: from wellness journeys to sustainable retreats, heritage tours, language immersion, digital nomading, volunteer vacations, retirement research, and more. For more information, contact @deborahgaines or [email protected].