15/05/2021
The results are undeniable. Open water swimming provides substantial benefits to our mental health, general wellbeing, physical health and confidence, according to more than 800 swimmers.
In a series of surveys collecting 830 individual responses from outdoor swimmers across the UK, as well as contributions from countries such as the US, Denmark and New Zealand, new analysis found that four out of every five swimmers (82%) reported mental health benefits from open water swimming.
When it came to their general wellbeing, the number of people who reported a positive improvement to the general wellbeing was even higher. Some 85% of respondents to a mass survey of 736 people said they agreed or strongly agreed that open water swimming had benefited their overall wellbeing. In two smaller surveys of 92 swimmers who had received coaching, that figure was higher still: 93% reported a benefit to their wellbeing.
The results come from a newly published report by the social enterprise Swim for Good (Scottish Swimmer), which analysed four surveys of swimmers undertaken between October 2020 and February 2021. The main survey also found that 69% of swimmers said the activity had boosted their confidence, 65% their social interactions, and 69% their physical health.
The surveys, which included a series of case studies from swimmers who had taken up the sport during lockdown, clearly demonstrate the value of open water swimming to participants. Swim for Good’s Founder and Head Coach Colin Campbell said: “For many of us, open water swimming is a salve, a means of recuperation, therapy, pain relief, a source of joy, stillness and pleasure.”

A positive impact on our mental health
As well as the case studies, the report contained testimony from dozens of swimmers describing the benefits of open water swimming and open water swim coaching. Many people described the positive impact it had on their mental health, especially when it came to dealing with the stresses of lockdown life, while others found it helped with issues such as depression, bereavement and PTSD. For some women, it also helped to alleviate symptoms or peri-menopause and menopause
Colin, who works as an swim teacher and open water swim coach in Edinburgh, said: “The surveys found that people come to the water for many different reasons: for fitness, for therapy, to be in nature, to train for an event, to experience cold water immersion, or simply for the joy of swimming. And although we come to the water for our own individual reasons, most of us share and experience the same rewards when it comes to our mental and physical health, wellbeing, confidence and friendships. I think during lockdown we’ve come to value these even more.”
The report, titled The Benefits of Open Water Swimming, also found that there had been a surge of people taking up the sport in the past year, with just under half of 736 respondents (49%) saying they had taken up open water swimming during lockdown.

The report also demonstrated the value of professional coaching. For each of the case studies, all of the individual responses said that coaching had been critical to their participation in open water swimming, helping to alleviate issues brought on by factors such as bereavement and stress. Data from two feedback surveys by Scottish Swimmer and Immerse Hebrides found that 9 out of 10 people said that coaching sessions had been important to their safe participation in open water swimming.
Colin, who has provided coaching to more than 250 people since he became a coach in 2019, said: “Participation in open water swimming was already on an upwards trajectory, but over lockdown it has surged. For many people, perhaps nervous or new to open water swimming, coaching has enabled them to access the amazing resource we have in our rivers, lochs, lakes and coastal waters, while there has been increased appreciation of the need to care for our mental health. But as popular as open water swimming has become, it is vital everyone understands the various risks associated with open water swimming. Having an experienced coach to offer that support has been massively important and beneficial to many people across the country.”
As well as drawing attention to the value of open water swimming and swim coaching, Colin also said he hoped the report would highlight the need for society to better care for and appreciate “our marine environment as a source of healing and happiness”.
He said: “It’s bizarre we even need to say this, but we all need to collectively work together to look after our open water areas. Marine wildlife and ecosystems are being ruined by pollution and over-fishing. Instead, we should be heeding the growing evidence that the seas and oceans hold meaningful solutions to addressing climate change.”
Read the full report here:
Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get them in front of Issuu’s millions of monthly readers. Title: Swim for Good Survey Report, Author: SwimForGood, Name: Swim for Good ...
