In open water, nobody swims alone
It's the most repeated rule in the sport and the one most often broken for lack of anyone to go with. Cramp two hundred metres offshore, with some swell and nobody watching, is the scenario every safety protocol is written about.
What gets agreed before getting in
- Somebody has to be able to see the others
- Swimming in parallel, with a buoy and in sight, is how this is done properly. It isn't a club requirement: it's the difference between a scare and a news story.
- The entry and the distance, said beforehand
- Where you get in, how far out it goes and where you come back. Improvising that halfway through is what separates a crossing from a problem.