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.
Sighting is a skill most pool swimmers have never practised. Without it you zigzag, adding hundreds of metres to every swim.
Hitting cold water unprepared triggers a gasp reflex and panic. This is physiological — and entirely trainable.
A wetsuit raises your hips and changes your body position. Without adapting your stroke it can make things worse, not better.
From Pool Swimmer to Open Water Ready
Get In Touch
Session 1 — Assessment
OW Skill Building
Open Water Ready
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...
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.
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...
Already a swimmer? Book online
Lanes at The Venue book up fast. Herts Swim Coach is our programme for people who can already swim: camps, clinics and 1:1 coaching you can book and pay for online in a couple of minutes.
Book 1:1 Coaching Online
See real availability at The Venue, Borehamwood and pick a slot straight away, with no back-and-forth. Your first session is a filmed stroke assessment, then regular sessions.
Adult Squad Sessions
Coached squad training at The Venue for adults who can swim 400m non-stop and want structured, performance-focused sets. You don't need to be fast.
Starts, Dives & Turns Clinic
A one-hour clinic on the skills club sessions skip: racing starts, turns and underwaters. Up to 8 swimmers in one lane, each Sunday booked on its own.
Christmas Junior Swim Camp
Squad-style mornings for club swimmers at The Venue, Borehamwood: all four strokes, starts, turns, sprints and relays. Two lanes, up to 16 a day (8 per lane), swimmers grouped by speed.
Camps, clinics and online booking are run by Herts Swim Coach, our coaching programme for club, competitive and squad swimmers.
Open Water Coaching FAQ
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.