Taking a swig

It only happens to me multiple times, every time I swim, and is especially bad in choppy seas. I usually handle it the same way you did: by choking, coughing and generally feeling a bit angry about it - if it's bad enough I sometimes have to stop to recover, but usually I manage to stop before I get too much water down the throat. The worst thing is that it usually makes me burp a lot afterward, which makes breathing more difficult. It's definitely worse when bilateral breathing, as I'm still working on making my breathing to the right as comfortable as breathing to the left.

To be a bit more constructive - when you breathe, do you look backward and breathe from the pocket of air created by the wave you push in front of your head? Usually when I've done it in a pool, it seems to be because I've gotten a bit lazy on breathing technique, but in the sea I'm pretty sure it's inevitable that you'll inhale water now and then.

Well, I grew up breathing to the right, and I notice that I do a pretty good job of looking back when I breathe on the right.  I also have never swallowed a bunch of water on that side.  Being that I'm new to breathing on the left, I am not yet as good as breathing on the right and def. do not look back as well as I do on the right.  Surprising that this is the only side I get a mouthful of water on, no?  I know it is just going to take practice, but I've heard some rough stories about ocean swimming and swallowing water where people DNF due to sick stomachs...just trying to look ahead a bit.

I'm a new swimmer (started in June) and just started bi-lateral breathing a couple of months ago. I swallowed a lot of watter when learning bi-lateral breathing. I also got a lot up my nose, forgot to breath, etc.  It gets better with practice. I have issues like that hardly ever now.

Happens to me every once in awhile just as the above poster said...taking a lazy breath. When I first started it bothered me more but now I just get into a side stroke or breast stroke and cough and when I am ready I continue. I hate how it disrupts my rhythm . Others just cough under water and continue but I have not perfected that yet. Yes you need to be careful about swallowing too much water on bike but I believe in most cases you actually do not swallow as much as you think

As your swim sets get longer or when you practice a long continuous swim, you will "drink the pool" more just because of fatigue.  When that happens, I just cough and keep moving as well as I can.  Sometimes I have to take more breaths, cough underwater, or even do breaststroke or tread for a second.  However, each time it happens, you will get better at recovering so that when it happens in a race, you won't freak out.

Stay calm. Keep swimming. Cough it out under water. Through in extra breaths until It clears.

I think it happens all the time but I don't even really notice unless it's just a huge, nasty gulp. I just keep going but I've been swimming for a while now.
The worst was my first OWS sprint race. Swallowing cold lake water is not pleasant. My lungs did not appreciate that. I had to stop and tread water while I was gasping for air. I really did not want to DNF my first event!  My tri friends has warned me about this very thing so I did not freak out. Just waited for my breathing to relax and took off again.

Good luck, keep swimming!

The good thing about bilateral breathing is that if you turn and catch a face of water, quickly close your mouth, move on, and try to rebreathe on the next stroke. As in, if the air isn't there, DON'T PANIC, just keep going. 

If you do get a mouthful, cough, keep your composure, and keep going. 

This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I live in a third world country, where the quality of pool water, and certainly open sea or lake water, is highly suspect. So, every time that I "swallow", it strikes fear and terror into my heart. I've had friends swimming at the same time as me, come down sick for weeks on end (leptosperosis?). Ear infections are almost the norm.

As a result, I accentuate every stroke to ensure that I breathe well and clear of the water's edge. A horrible way to swim (too much side to side movement), but considering the alternative....

I've had it happen during races.  Depending on how much water it is, I either keep going or stop, tread water, and cough for a few seconds.  Unfortunately, it's one of those things that seems to come with swimming.  Remember that you can pause for a few seconds to get your bearing or cough as you need.  The biggest key is trying to relax if that happens during a race.

If you get a mouthful of water instead of air, put your face back down and exhale and you'll push the water out of your mouth.  You can turn to the other side or the next cycle for another attempt at some air. 

eventually you'll learn to swallow the water instead of inhale it.  It gets harder to control though the harder you push yourself and the choppier the water.   And the choppier the water, expect to skip a breath atleast a dozen times due to a wave colliding with your face as you're supposed to breath.

My suggestion is not to push yourself too much in open water till you're about halfway through and you're in a good groove.