Open water swimming coaching builds safety for pool swimmers
A retired NHS nurse from Greenock is using her 30 years of experience to coach swimmers transitioning from the pool to open water.
Wenda Crawford, a 51-year-old nurse from Greenock, coaches open water swimming through Swim Safe Adventures. She helps swimmers transition from pool training to open water swimming, focusing on building confidence and teaching them to cope with tides, currents, wind, and wave conditions. Safety is her top priority.
Expertise in Open Water Challenges
Crawford specializes in helping swimmers overcome anxiety about open water environments. Many of her clients are strong pool swimmers who lack confidence outside the controlled setting. For others, the swimming leg of triathlons, Ironman competitions, and point-to-point endurance swims causes the greatest anxiety. She believes the challenge is often as much mental as physical.
She encourages hesitant swimmers. "Don't let that put you off. Just come and try swimming," Crawford said. Her sessions are designed to equip swimmers with the skills to handle real-world conditions.
Community and Mental Health Focus
Her group sessions emphasize shared experiences to support mental wellbeing. Crawford believes open water swimming provides significant mental health benefits and a strong sense of community. She finds great reward in seeing her clients succeed.
"In the group sessions, the shared experience is where the mental health side comes in and swimming all year round," she explained. Crawford has seen many clients achieve their goals. Everyone she has helped has gone on to complete their Ironman races, triathlons, or other major events.
Practical Accessibility
Crawford works to remove financial barriers for beginners. She hires out necessary equipment, allowing newcomers to try the sport without a major initial investment. Her message is one of inclusion and practical support.
She invites people to join her without pressure. Just come in with me. You don't necessarily need the expensive kit, but I can help you with that because I hire kit as well, Crawford stated. This approach makes the sport more accessible.
Wenda Crawford balances her coaching with her nursing work at Dunoon Cowal Community Hospital on Tuesdays, drawing on a 30-year NHS career that included advanced practice in cardiology at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The sea became a source of support and wellbeing for her during that demanding career. She will continue offering group sessions to help swimmers transition to open water challenges, with plans for more point-to-point and relay swims next year.
