3 Ways to Succeed at Swimming the English Channel

1. Prepare for the Chill

Swimming the English Channel is a coveted accomplishment for many swimmers and swim teams. People often think, however, that swimming the English Channel is no different than swimming in a lake, but that is very wrong. The English Channel, for starters, contains salt water and can have choppy, rough waters. The temperature of the water ranges from 58 to 61 degrees F and provides a huge challenge for those swimmers who train in warm climates or heated, indoor environments. Prepare for your swim by acclimating your body to cold temperatures and cold water. Give up your warm showers for cold ones, and opt to train in the ocean instead of an indoor pool. Not only should you toughen up your body, but you must toughen up your mind. Your mindset about the cold and the challenge may determine your success or failure.

2. Get Used to Long Swims

The English Channel is approximately 22 miles across, which is a far cry from your normal 25 meter pool. The channel also does not have walls to grab onto and rest, so you must prepare your body for long distance swimming. The time it takes to get across the English Channel depends on your swimming skills, strength and the water conditions of the day. You may encounter waves, high winds, debris in the water, and even the occasional jellyfish. You must train for long distance swimming and prepare your body for the unique challenges of the English Channel. Swimming in open water is the best way to prepare, but you must include weight training, cycling and flexibility training. When you have the ability to put your feet down, exhaustion allows you to do that, but since the swim can take anywhere from 10 to 20 hours, you must learn to be comfortable for long periods of time in the water. Start building up your swim times on a weekly basis until you are capable of swimming the approximate time required to cross the channel.

3. Understand the Channel

The English Channel is not a beach resort or an area designated for swimmers. It is a busy thoroughfare for ships and ferries. The captain of your escort boat takes this into account and you can plot a course together for your swim, his job being to avoid the oncoming ships. The tides also change direction every six hours in the English Channel, which presents another challenge. You cannot predict the direction of the wind, so there are times when the wind and tides work together and times when they do not. You also must be prepared for waves of varying heights, normally between 3 to 5 feet. On top of the weather and water conditions, know that you may encounter debris, trash, boats and even the occasional critter, like jellyfish or a shark, which swimmers have reported seeing in the English Channel.