Learn to Stay Calm in Open Water
Triathlon, September 20, 2026
Learn how to stay calm and confident during your triathlon swim. Discover why controlling your breathing, practising open-water skills, choosing a comfortable starting position and gaining experience in race-like conditions can make a difference. Open-water confidence is a skill—practise it before race day.
You can feel completely comfortable swimming lap after lap in the pool, then arrive at a triathlon and suddenly everything feels different.
There's no black line beneath you. The water may be cold or choppy. Visibility can be poor. Other swimmers are close beside you, and the excitement of race morning can send your heart rate and breathing up before you've found your rhythm.
The solution isn't necessarily becoming a faster swimmer.
Sometimes you need to become a calmer open-water swimmer.
Open-Water Confidence Is a Skill
Pool fitness is important, but being fit enough to swim the distance doesn't automatically mean you'll feel confident swimming it in open water.
Confidence comes from experience.
Whenever it is safe and practical, include open-water swimming in your preparation. Practise sighting, swimming continuously without a wall, navigating around buoys and becoming comfortable swimming near other athletes.
The more familiar these situations become, the less mental energy they require on race day.
Control Your Breathing First
When athletes become anxious in open water, the instinct can be to swim harder.
That can make the problem worse.
If your breathing becomes rushed, slow things down. Relax your shoulders, concentrate on exhaling properly into the water and focus on controlled strokes.
If necessary, change stroke, tread water or float while you regain control.
You're not trying to fight the water.
Your first job is to get your breathing under control.
Once you've done that, you can gradually return to your normal swimming rhythm.
Start Where You're Comfortable
You don't have to begin your race in the middle of the most aggressive group of swimmers.
If close contact makes you nervous, consider positioning yourself towards the side or farther back.
Giving yourself a little more space can help you settle into your stroke and breathing before concentrating on racing.
You can also practise swimming beside other athletes during training so that the occasional bump, splash or hand touching your feet doesn't come as a surprise.
Practise the Skills You'll Need
Open-water confidence isn't just about swimming more kilometres.
Practise the specific skills you'll need on race day:
sighting and navigation
swimming around buoys
drafting
swimming close to other athletes
dealing with waves and chop
swimming in your wetsuit
entering and exiting the water
finding your rhythm without stopping at a wall
You're teaching yourself that you've experienced these situations before and know how to respond.
Break the Swim Into Smaller Pieces
If the entire swim course feels intimidating, don't think about completing the whole thing at once.
Concentrate on reaching the first buoy.
Then the next.
Then the turn.
When things become uncomfortable, bring your attention back to what you need to do right now:
Breathe. Relax. Stroke. Sight. Keep moving forward.
Calm Is a Performance Skill
Even experienced triathletes encounter unexpected situations in open water.
You might swallow some water, miss a breath, have your goggles knocked or find another swimmer crossing your path.
You can't control everything that happens around you.
What you can develop is your ability to respond calmly.
That comes through preparation and experience.
Don't wait until race morning to discover whether you're comfortable in open water.
Practise the environment as well as the swimming.
Stay calm. Find your rhythm. Then keep moving forward.
Want to Learn More?
In the full article, I go deeper into controlling your breathing, managing open-water anxiety, race-start positioning, sighting, swimming around other athletes and building confidence before race day.