Open Water Swimming

What is OWS (both generally and as a Smelts organized workout)

Open Water Swimming (OWS) is, simply put, swimming in bodies of water that aren't pools! Whether river, lake, ocean or a puddle, it is all OWS! With the Chicago Smelts, we run our official OWS workouts from Memorial Day (temperature dependent) through Labor Day. Unlike pool workouts that consist of a highly structured workout (warmup, preset & mainset), the Smelts OWS workouts top priority is always safety first, skill development second and finally, basic race strategy. You will find all levels of swimmers at these workouts but you MUST attend one of our pool workouts BEFORE coming to an OWS. The coaching staff needs to know you can comfortably swim uninterrupted for at least 10 minutes to ensure your safety.

Logistics (where we meet, and what you need to swim, weather)

Our OWS workouts meet at the Chess Pavillion just south of North Ave. Beach. We meet while there while Chicago Parks lifeguards are on duty (for extra safety) and never swim more than 25yards off shore and typically cover between 1/2 and 1 mile over the course of the hour. The distance covered is dependent on the skills covered during the workout, the speed of the overall group as well as the weather and water temperature. 

Below a list of potential items that are either needed  or suggested to swim at an open water workout. Truthfully, you only need a bright swim cap, a swimsuit and goggles. Buoys are NOT required for our official workouts. 

Required Gear: Swim Suit, Bright swim caps, Goggles (Polarized Recommended)

Recommended Gear: Warm layers/ Wetsuit (Especially early in the season, Swim Buoy, Sunscreen, Water bottle, Snacks, Caffeine packets (Ex: Gu Packets)

*Use of these items all depend on your cold water acclimation. Especially earlier in the summer, having these items and not using them is safer than struggling to rewarm your core after a cold swim

Weather & Water Conditions

Chicago weather can be quite turbulent but you can expect our workouts to go forward rain or shine (Except in the event of active lightning). The number one deciding factor of whether or not a workout will be cancelled on the day of is wind speed. Wind drives our waves and can make for very unsafe conditions. Once you are a member, check our Slack #lake-swimming group to stay updated on last minute changes. 

General OWS safety

The most common questions we get are "Do I need a wetsuit and what kind?" as well as "What is the temperature?" Whether or not you need a wetsuit depends on your cold water acclimation. Have you spent much time adjusting to cold water conditions? Do you like "cold water"? How do you define cold water? A wetsuit will not keep your entire body warm but will help your core to maintain a comfortable temperature. We highly recommend you consider a sleeveless wetsuit as tight neoprene restirstcs arm movement and does not take much away from a wetsuit's ability to warm your core. When it comes to the water temperature, this is always in flux due to storms, wind and temperature shifts. Websites such as GLOS can give you a general idea of what to expect but should not be taken as gospel. 

When it comes to swimming in the lake, it should be taken as an ironclad law to NEVER swim alone, NEVER swim across active boat lanes and always swim with bright colors on. The more visible, the better!

Please feel free to reach out HERE if you have follow up questions. We look forward to seeing you in the lake!