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Haven't set a date/ time. Probably 22nd, but can do most afternoons. Could do it sooner if you can make it. 90 mins away sounds about right. Would be a nice way to say goodbye to the summer.
I live in Godalming but am not around on the 22nd. There were some races organised earlier this year which they cancelled due to water quality in the Wey. Lee, I hope you are a fish very soon.
Oh man, I didn't know that
How am I (or should that be how is one???) meant to know if the water's good enough? We can trawl through the fecal matter any day you like ladies and gents 
Doesn't have to be the 22nd.
I wanna be a fish toooooooo
I will try and dig out the info and post it on here, some of my friends do swim in it but the barge people are not that keen!
Hiya, sorry, not been on here for a couple of days! I'm afraid i've got something on every weekend in September, so wouldn't be able to meet for a swim. Sounds like I've just saved myself the chance of catching some hideous disease though
I've not been properly doing open water swimming for a couple of years - went for a recent bob-about in the Hamble which was lovely, but there was no real current, and actually I didn't swim, just bobbed about. Need to get my swimming confidence up a bit so I can swim in rivers properly I think! Lakes and stuff are fine, they don't move (much!).
So i've just booked a 1:1 swim smooth sesh on the 14th Nov, as a birthday treat to myself! Figured I'd leave it until then so I can get my swim fitness up, in order to get the most out of the session, and hopefully i'll be a bit slimmer and have a better core by then, which will also help. I'm looking forward to it
Make sure you give us all a good review please ????
Summary of water quality issues
Most events are cancelled because of one of two reasons:
Blue/green algae is generally harmless if you come into contact with it and as long as you shower afterwards. If you don't shower then it can cause skin irritation. It can also make you ill if you swallow it, and it is toxic to dogs so wash hands before eating, drinking and playing with pets. There could be low levels of blue/green algae in any body of water at any time of the year but normally the levels are low enough to not be a problem. Most people wouldn't choose to swim in water containing high levels of blue/green algae as it looks like grass cuttings on the surface of the water and is unpleasant to put your face in, so common sense will generally keep you safe.
Levels of algae increase when the water temperature is warm and there is a lot of sun. There are guidelines that specify when it is inadvisable to swim based on the concentration in the water and event organisers will often arrange for a water quality test to be carried out before an event. Privately owned lakes will often have routine monitoring all year round. Event organisers generally want to avoid being held responsible for anyone getting ill so they tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to algae levels, especially when they don't have sufficient showering facilities for everyone.
The second reason for poor water quality is generally due to heavy rain upstream of the event. Silt gets washed off the land and increases the suspended solids in the water. Historically heavy rain used to wash pesticides and fertilisers off the fields but farmers are now much more savvy about when they apply chemicals as it is money wasted if the chemicals all end up in the rivers so this is now less of a problem. Waste from grazing animals can be a bigger problem though, and in severe weather drains and sewage works may overflow and lead to contamination of the rivers.
The good news is that rivers have a good flow of water and therefore any contaminants tend to get washed away fairly promptly. Sunlight also degrades sewage contaminants within a couple of days even in lakes with little flow of water. Again, showering after a swim is a good precaution including washing out your wetsuit and washing hands or using a sanitiser before eating or drinking.
Events can get cancelled if heavy rain is predicted for these reasons, even if it is sunny on the actual day.
In very rare cases rivers can become contaminated due to accidental releases of waste from businesses. The incidence of this is only a handful of cases each year and the Environment Agency is very hot on getting them cleared up promptly. Generally you will be able to tell if accidental releases have happened as the water will be discoloured, have a froth on it or there will be evidence of dead fish. Common sense will tell you not to swim in them. I've never (yet) heard of an event being cancelled due to an accidental release.
So to summarise, most rivers are safe to swim in most of the time especially if you follow sensible hygiene procedures. Use your common sense to work out when they aren't safe and if in doubt then don't take risks.
Supercaz you did not mention the most basic point.
If you get a flu like virus after swimming in open water to go to the GP and get checked out for Weils Disease, the rat wee infection. At least one competitor from the Virgin London Tri caught the disease from the river Thames, so always beware.
Wrong CJ. The incidence of Weil's disease is much rarer than for general stomach upsets. Only about 60 cases a year and a tiny fraction of them are swimmers. Its not the most basic risk of OW swimming at all.
You don't catch Weils disease from water. You catch it from the urine of infected rats. In the water the urine is so dilute that you are extremly unlikely to get a high enough dose to catch it.
Weil's disease is caught from contact with contaminated vegetation and structures along the river banks. Rowers are more prone than swimmers as they come into contact from urine on the boats if stored by rivers. You also need to have an open wound, or get it in your eye or mucus membranes. Rowers are much more likely to have scratches from handling the boats and don't tend to wear goggles to protect splashes getting into their eyes. Swimmers are also often protected by wetsuits. Off road runners are also at risk if they run with bare legs through long grass.
Naturally if you get ill for any reason you should tell your GP what you are likely to be exposed to, but flu like symptoms are more likely to be due to flu, meningitis or some other infection than from Weil's disease.
I have my 1:1 coaching session tonight, so i'll report back tomorrow (so long as I can still move my arms to type
)
hope it went well and gave you lots to work on
How'd it go Lee?
Arms must be completely buggered!
Hello all! Sorry, i've been dead busy and haven't had a chance to come on here!!!
Yeah it was great thanks. Really enjoyed it. After a couple of warm up lengths he filmed me doing 6 lengths, then we watched the video and he commented on it, whilst recording his voice too, so i've got that to watch back. Worked on breathing first, which I thought was okay, but a couple of sinking-drills later, and breathing was better so swimming felt easier.
Most of the rest of the session was working on my catch, and getting sufficient rotation, because I come in really flat on the left. So all the drills we did were included on the DVD I got to take home, and also there is info. on the type of swimmer I am, which is a little bit Bambino, but mostly a swinger (fnarr fnarr
).
I didn't feel too knackered on the night, but my whole body felt done in on Friday. Had a massive PT sesh on Saturday where I did loads of weights, so my lats are STILL sore, lol.
So I need to start swimming regularly to practice what i've learned, but I would say it was definitely a worthwhile exercise for anyone thinking of doing it. Getting the video etc. to take home is invaluable too