Open Water Development Day 2026

The London Region will be hosting an open water Development Day at Luxborough Lake Chigwell IG7 5DF on Sunday 7^th June 2026.

The purpose of the day is to provide inexperienced open water swimmers with the opportunity to learn how to swim in open water and how to race most effectively. The event also provides more experienced open water swimmers and those entering the Regional Open Water Swimming Championships with an excellent opportunity to (re-)familiarize themselves with open water and to develop/hone race skills.

The day is open to all age group swimmers who are registered with a London club and who are eligible to enter the Regional Open Water Championships (see Conditions). Swimmers entering must be aged 11 or over by the 31^st December 2026 to participate in the Development Day and able to demonstrate the ability to swim a minimum of 800m.

Swimmers must have a wetsuit as the majority of the training is delivered as a practical session.

There will be a Zoom session a couple of weeks before the event (no more than 30 minutes) to cover a number of different topics, including logistics for the day.

Draft Plan for the Day 

• 10.45 – 11.00 – Arrival
• 11.00 – 11.30 – Induction session and on-land explanation of the drills to be covered in the water
• 11.30 – 12.30 – Water based session
• 12.30 – 13.15 – Lunch
• 13.15 – 13.45 – Morning recap and talk on the role of open water officials and competition rules
• 13.45 – 14.45 – Water based session including race simulations
• 14.45 – 15.00 – Closing review and feedback
• 15.00 – Close

Full details of the timings of the Development Day and Zoom details will be sent by email to all those who have entered and been accepted closer to the event.

Registration and payment 

The entry price for the 2026 Open Water Development Day is £40 per swimmer. To apply and pay for a place on our Development Day, please use the following link.

Closing date for applications

Friday 29^th May 2026. In the event that the Development Day is oversubscribed, entries will be accepted on a first come first served basis, with spaces allocated according to the date/time applications are received.