As fun as our holidays can be we do take guests out of their comfort zones at times :)

One of the sessions I love during the start of each triathlon training week is taking the most elegant and efficient of pool swimmers, zipping them up in a wetsuit and throwing them out to the sharks! Technique goes out the door and they develop what I call a ‘paddle for survival’ stroke.

Being a surfer for over 20years I find more dangerous things floating around in a public pool than in the ocean!

Even the most competent of triathlete swimmers can take an instant fear to the ocean. It’s has nothing to do with their ability, technique or fitness. It is about them being put into an unfamiliar environment and having to adapt to the new conditions and rules of swimming.

Think of a sport that you are or were fairly good at. Chosen it? Now imagine that sport stayed the same but all of a sudden the rules got changed. The basics of the sport still existed but the new rules made you have to rethink your tactics to the way you have always played it.

Another example would be to take a common sport like football, keep the rules of the game the same this time but change the playing surface. Say going from nice soft grass to slippery hard ice. Would you be as confident on ice as you would normally be on grass?

Developing your basic swimming skills in the pool is still the best thing to prepare you for the ocean. You just need to be aware of the impromptu rule changes and playing conditions that mother nature can bring. You also need to be prepared to learn new skills and techniques (some unorthodox!) along the way.

It takes a little time to adjust to this new environment. Once swimmers learn to work with the ocean rather than against it, it becomes fun. The hard thing on our training holidays is getting traithletes back into the pool again for drills!

Swimmers experiencing the ocean for the first time on our holidays generally take 2 – 3 ocean swims before they get the hang of it. On the first swim we always do 5min of floating in our wetsuits before we ever take a stroke. Once we get our balance, feel for the ocean and understand the buoyancy benefits we then start the session.

If you show respect for the ocean you will find that it is not a scary place! If you learn a few rule changes and adopt the slightly different playing surface you will realise the game is still the same just much more enjoyable :)

Graeme Buscke

Co-Founder of Embrace Sports