Look in a well-traveled, experienced open water swimming veteran’s bag or home and they will have many, most or all of these things:

1. Perfect-fitting pair of tinted, polarized or colored goggles for swimming in the bright sunshine.
2. Perfect-fitting pair of clear or light-colored goggles for swimming at night or early morning.
3. Back-up pair of goggles.
4. Silicone ear plugs.
5. Perfect-fitting pair of swimsuits.
6. Back-up swimsuits.
7. Skin lubricants like lanolin, Vaseline or TriSlide.
8. Swim snorkel for training and focus on stroke technique.
9. Kick board for kicking sets or social kicking.
10. Hand paddles.
11. Waterproof wristwatch.
12. GPS unit.
13. Facebook account.
14. Coconut oil to remove black ink. 15. Mobile device with Internet access.
16. Fins for kicking or body surfing.
17. Paddleboard for training or escorting swim buddies.
18. Kayak for training or escorting swim buddies.
19. Ring protector.
20. Swim bag.
21. Big towel for deck-changing, drying off and brushing sand off your body.
22. Perfect-fitting pair of swim caps.
23. Extra swim caps from around the world to hand out to old and new open water swimming friends.
24. Non-slip shoes for escort boats in rough water.
25. Biodegradable sunscreen.

For other bits and pieces of open water swimming information, click on the following links:

* 100 Things Every Open Water Swimmer Should Know
* 50 Things Open Water Swimmers

Photo shows open water swimmers competing in the Faros Maratón in Croatia.

Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association