Severe open water phobia

Kelligirl - 2011-07-11 10:44 PM Hi- New to this site and I'm looking for advice.  I just did my 4th sprint tri- and the swim is really getting to me.....I do fine in a pool- good swimmer- but the open water-- dark and murky-- really freaks me out.  BAD.  If the water was clear I'd be okay but alas...lakes aren't clear.  I end up doing the breath stroke which is slow...I don't know how to get over it.  This has been since I was a child...Any one else have this problem or have it in the past?  I've resigned myself to forever doing the breath stroke and making up my time on the bike....any advice would be appreciated!!!

I am a strong swimmer, but I have issues at times as well.  My problem is the wetsuit (tightness/constriction at the neck), but I won't go without as I KNOW I will float in it.  I will tell you that my friend who is a swim coach and former Division 1 collegiate swimmer - still has problems with open water swimming.  She still does open water tri's - never longer than a sprint - but she also doesn't practice in open water either.  I think this would probably help her.  I think all of the above advice really is good.

Does this fear hit you when you first get in the water or later on when you can't see much around you while swimming?  What about it scares you - the thought of what you can't see? Is there any way to go with a friend or a group of other people for more open water swim exposure?

I've been swimming in open water for years and was a lifeguard at a few lakes. I still get a little bit of the heebie jeebies, but I focus on looking out of the water (shoreline, buoys, etc) as opposed to looking down.

(p.s. I loved wearing a wetsuit at the tri I did on Sunday. Not because the water was cold - far from it - but because I couldn't feel the tickle of any weeds that weren't cleared. That sensation freaks the freak out of me. I guess you could say it makes me go faster since I want to get out of the water ASAP. )

The open water swims get to me as well.  I have in general always just used a wetsuit because I know that I can very easily just turtle, flip over on my back outside the line of swimmers, if needed.  I had to turtle several times during the DC HIM because it was the longest I had swam in the open water.

I do have a friend who is in the same boat as you and even a wetsuit doesn't help her.  She can swim 2 miles in a pool and freaks out 50 yards from the shore in open water.  If that is your case I'd suggest Suzy's suggestions for sure.

Thank you everyone!  Lots to ponder....and some good ideas.