ASA / STA Qualified
DBS Enhanced Checked
7 Days a Week
4.9 Stars · 202 Reviews
Borehamwood & North London
Open Water Coaching — Borehamwood WD6

From Pool
Swimmer To
Open Water.

Private 1-to-1 open water swimming coaching at our 25m Borehamwood pool. Sighting, navigation, cold water confidence and wetsuit technique — everything a pool swimmer needs to thrive in lakes, rivers and sea.

Why Pool Swimmers Struggle in Open Water

Being a competent pool swimmer means almost nothing in open water. No lane lines, no black line, no walls. Open water demands a completely different set of skills — and most swimmers have never been taught them.

No idea where you're going without a black line

Sighting is a skill most pool swimmers have never practised. Without it you zigzag, adding hundreds of metres to every swim.

Cold water shock and anxiety

Hitting cold water unprepared triggers a gasp reflex and panic. This is physiological — and entirely trainable.

Wetsuit technique nobody taught you

A wetsuit raises your hips and changes your body position. Without adapting your stroke it can make things worse, not better.

1-to-1 coaching 25m pool, Borehamwood All OW skills pool-trainable PDF session notes
Open water swim coaching at Borehamwood pool

From Pool Swimmer to Open Water Ready

1
Get In Touch
Get in touch and Brian will confirm your lane within 24 hours.
2
Session 1 — Assessment
Brian assesses your pool stroke and identifies the specific OW skills to develop first — usually sighting and breathing are the highest priority.
3
OW Skill Building
Sighting, then wetsuit adaptation, then navigation and drafting. Each session layers skills until open water feels natural, not foreign.
4
Open Water Ready
You arrive at your lake or sea swim having already practised every skill in the pool. No surprises. Just swimming.

Swimmers We've Taken Open Water

★★★★★
Had swimming lessons with Steven over the past few months and he was really brilliant. I never learnt how to swim as a child, and having tried a few adult group and one on one lessons in the past, I found the whole experience...
Caitríona K.
Trustpilot
★★★★★
Brian and his team (Eva and Claudio) helped me achieve my long-held dream of learning to swim. With a patient, guiding and positive style, they helped me learn the front-crawl/freestyle technique.
John_K
Trustpilot
★★★★★
I had a medium fear of water when I started swimming lessons with Brian FitzGerald. Initially, a fair bit of time was spent building my confidence and getting used to having my face in the water, something I was never comfortable...
Brian
Trustpilot

Open Water Coaching FAQ

You need to be able to swim 25m front crawl comfortably. Beyond that, all levels are welcome — from nervous pool swimmers doing their first OW event to experienced lake swimmers wanting to go faster.
For a first-time OW swim with 4-6 weeks to go, 3-4 sessions covers the key skills. For a longer event or if you want to feel genuinely confident, 6-8 sessions is ideal. We'll give you a clear plan after session one.
Yes — all the core open water skills are pool-trainable. Sighting, bilateral breathing, wetsuit adaptation, drafting position and navigation drills all transfer directly. The pool lets us repeat and refine in a controlled environment.
Yes, and we strongly recommend it. At least one session in your wetsuit is essential. The pool lets us work on the specific stroke adaptations your wetsuit requires in a safe, repeatable environment.
The Venue, Elstree Way, Borehamwood WD6. Around 25 minutes from North London by car, or Thameslink to Elstree & Borehamwood station. Clients travel from across London and Hertfordshire for open water coaching sessions.
Further Reading
Ready to Start?

Open Water Doesn't Have to Be Frightening

Private 1-to-1 open water coaching at our 25m Borehamwood pool. Every skill you need for lakes, rivers and sea — trained in a controlled environment. Get a free coaching plan.