Open Water Swimming in Ontario

Interested in clean fresh Ontario lake water, blue skies and bright sunshine or fingernails full of algae from the rocks you hit, weird numbers in white on your sunburnt shoulder for the next two weeks and water weeds for breakfast ???

Then come on out, this is the place for you this summer.

Contact the organizers or the MSO Registrar for more info.

Brights Grove Open Water Swim - near Sarnia in Lake Huron Hosted by : TYMS Contact : Sue Weir 1.5K and 3K Swim is usually in July Venue may be viewed on the Blue Water Triathlon site

UNDER THE FOUR BRIDGES 3K and 5K Open Water Swim - Welland Hosted by : Welland Otters Swim Team Contact : Elma Coulture Usually runs in August Welland Recreational Waterway (Old Welland Ship Canal)

Annual Open Water Cable Swim 1000 Islands Y Swim Masters Contact : Marion Wyatt The circuit is a 500m cable swim course in the St. Lawrence River at the East beach of St. Lawrence Park, located in the west-end of Brockville. Usually held in August

St Marys Quarry - St Marys Hosted by London Silver Dolphins Contact : Bryan Finlay Ontario Championsip 5 K Swim runs the first Sunday after Labour Day weekend This is the grand daddy / grand mummy of open water swims in Ontario, well over a decade old now. The 5 kilometres is completed by swimming 11 laps of a triangular course. Easy viewing of the entire race and food afterwards. Check the Official website http://soloswims.com for information on this years swim ! St. Mary's 2000 Bryan Finlay after completing the 5K doing breast stroke (of course)

For more of this kind of swimming check out the Solo Swims of Ontario website or the Channel Swimming website.

And, as always there is a plethora of information from USMS : a calendar, a list of championships, the rules and a manual.

Photo credits : Barrie Malloch