As part of our series of blogs on open water, Total Immersion coach Penny Wilkin gives us the lowdown on how to stay safe as you embark on your next river swimming adventure. By Penny Wilkin and Sarah Hill Since the lockdown has been lifted I’ve made it a point to check out a wider range of open water and wild swimming spots local to me. In fact, I’m on a mission to swim in a different spot each week - which I’ve named “Wild Swim Wednesdays” Along with some friends from local swimming group Swim and Tonic, I’ve ventured to lots of new swimming spots, most of these have been river dips and, as many more people are swimming in rivers I thought it would be useful to share some of the things we do to keep ourselves safe: Get local knowledge before you swim in a new place - from local people, other swimmers, one of the wild swimming books, a Facebook group, Google and OS maps. Consult water quality resources - see our last blog W ater Quality101 for all you need.  Never swim alone and ...

Salka Hintikka is a Total Immersion Coach in Cumbria and a keen open water swimmer. Her background is in environmental engineering. When not coaching or swimming she works for the Environment Agency.   As swimming pools and many open water swimming venues are still closed, many of us keen swimmers have headed out to find new waters to swim in. This can come with a great sense of adventure and discovery, but also uncertainty about the water quality. Here’s a little “back to basics” on water quality and where to find more information in England. For similar information in Wales or Scotland, please see  Natural Resources Wales  and SEPA . Pollution There are many definitions of pollution, but let’s concentrate here on things that can make swimmers ill. Main culprits in the UK generally would be agricultural runoff and sewage. How does it get to the river? Point Source Pollution Point source pollution is from a pipe, drain or other distinct source that discharges in...