The open water kit list, and why you lay it out first

"Do you have all your kit?" sounds like something a parent asks at the front door. Behind it sit eleven items, four of them essential, and a follow-up most swimmers skip: is it laid out, and in the right place?

The kit list

The full list:

• swim costume
• wetsuit
• tow float
• a drink
• a warm layer for afterwards
• towel
• mobile phone
• whistle
• swim cap
• goggles
• bobble hat

Not every swim needs all eleven. A wetsuit is a choice and goggles are a preference. The four essentials are where to start.

Tow float

A tow float's main job is getting you seen. The Outdoor Swimming Society describes floats as being for two things only: visibility and carrying your bits. RLSS UK recommends a brightly coloured one, alongside a bright costume and swim hat. The OSS points to busy water, with boats, jet skis and windsurfers about, and notes that the choppier, darker or mistier the water, the harder a swimmer is to spot.

RLSS UK's advice, published by the Met Office, adds that a tow float gives some buoyancy and often has a waterproof compartment for your phone. If you tire or need help, Swim England's advice is to hold on to your tow float, blow your whistle three times and raise one hand.

Two cautions from the OSS. A float helps other people spot you, but you still need to stay alert to them. And don't overload it, as the extra weight could hamper you.

Whistle

RLSS UK lists a pealess whistle as one way of calling for help, alongside a charged phone in a waterproof pouch and a VHF radio. Swim England's signal is the one above: three blasts, then a raised hand.

Mobile phone

The phone is for afterwards: it's how you raise the alarm, not something to swim with in your hand. RLSS UK says to keep it fully charged and in a waterproof pouch. Check whether your venue has phone signal, so you know where you'd need to go to make an emergency call.

In the UK, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard at the coast, or Fire and Rescue inland. Who to call if it goes wrong covers the details. Before you go, let someone at home know where you're swimming and when you expect to be back. Swim England suggests telling them where you've parked, too.

A drink

The fourth essential does two jobs. Before the swim, it's about hydration, which is covered in Eaten, hydrated, slept. After the swim, RLSS UK's advice is to bring a hot drink along with plenty of warm clothes.

The OSS says scientists consider the small volume of a hot drink to have no effect on your core temperature, though it may help psychologically. Have it for the comfort. The layers and somewhere warm do the actual work.

Warm layers for afterwards

The warm layer, towel and bobble hat are there because the swim doesn't end when you get out. Swim England warns that you can chill off very quickly after a swim, even on a warm day, and says to get into warm clothes as soon as possible.

The OSS explains why. Your core temperature can keep falling after you're out of the water, which it calls afterdrop. Its advice is to get wet layers off and dry yourself as soon as possible, not to hang about on the bank, and to layer up with thermals, jumpers, an insulated jacket, a hat and gloves. It also suggests standing on something while you change, so you don't lose heat through your feet. Before you get back in the car, the OSS puts it plainly: "Shivering is a sign you are not ready to drive."

If you're not sure whether someone is just cold or in trouble, read hypothermia: the signs.

Costume, wetsuit, cap and goggles

Wetsuit. RLSS UK says a well-fitted wetsuit helps keep you warm, and its Met Office advice adds that it gives some buoyancy. Swim England's caution is that the water may still be very cold, so get in carefully rather than running, jumping or diving. A wetsuit doesn't switch off cold water shock.

Swim cap. Make it a bright one. RLSS UK's advice, via the Met Office, is to choose a brightly coloured swim hat so other swimmers and lifeguards can see you more easily.

Goggles. Swim England suggests clear or light lenses for overcast days, and mirrored or UV-resistant ones when it's sunny.

Lay it out in the order you'll put it back on

It takes a minute before you get in, and when you come out you won't want to be rummaging through a bag.

Set it up like this: towel on top, then the first layer you'll pull on, then the next, down to your coat. Hat and gloves somewhere you can grab them without looking. Something to stand on at the front. Phone and keys in the same pocket every time.

As for an appropriate place: somewhere it'll stay dry, out of other people's way, and as close as you can manage to where you plan to get out.

For the rest of the swimmer check, read Before you get in. For what to know before you go anywhere near the water, start with the open water safety checklist.

Sources

1. Royal Life Saving Society UK, The Water Safety Code
2. Met Office (advice from RLSS UK), Top tips for safe open water swimming
3. Outdoor Swimming Society, To(w) float or not to(w) float?
4. Swim England, How To Stay Safe In Open Water
5. Swim England, How to prepare for your first open water swim
6. Outdoor Swimming Society, The Subtle Art of Warming Up
7. Outdoor Swimming Society, The Outdoor Swimmer's Code

This guide is general information, not a substitute for local knowledge or training. Conditions change: check them on the day, and if in doubt, don't go in. Images on the blog are illustrations, not pictures of specific spots.