Open-water swimming guide to Lanzarote

Lanzarote is a very attractive place for open-water swimming, but clear water should not be confused with easy water. The Atlantic changes with wind, current, tide and coastline orientation. A well-chosen swim can be excellent; a poorly prepared one can feel long very quickly.

Choosing a distance

If you come from pool swimming, start with short or medium distances. An 800 m or 1,500 m swim lets you understand starts, groups, buoys, bilateral breathing and contact with other swimmers without taking on too much stress. Distances of 3.8 km or 5 km require another level of preparation: pre-race nutrition, tolerance of chop, pacing and sighting experience.

Sailfish Lanzarote Open Water, swims in Puerto del Carmen, El Reducto, Papagayo or La Graciosa all offer different profiles. Do not choose only by how beautiful the beach looks. Check start, finish, currents, services, cut-off times and transport.

Wetsuit and water temperature

Water temperature can be pleasant, but wetsuit use depends on rules, season and organiser decisions. If you use one, train in it first. A new wetsuit can rub the neck or shoulders and change body position. If you swim without one, practise breathing in the sea with temperature changes and small waves.

Safety

Never train open water alone if you do not know the area. Check flags, wind, currents and boat traffic. Use a safety buoy in training and choose lifeguarded beaches where possible. Lanzarote’s visibility helps, but it does not replace judgement.

Open-water swims and triathlon

For triathletes, an open-water swim is a very useful tool. It lets you practise starts, sighting and continuous pacing without transition pressure. The 3.8 km distance at Sailfish in Puerto del Carmen, for example, has often worked as a useful reference for athletes preparing IRONMAN Lanzarote.

Supporters

Open-water swims are often friendly for spectators because start and finish areas are close to beaches or promenades. Still, check access, parking and timings. In point-to-point swims, it is not always easy to see both start and finish without transport.

How to progress

A good progression combines pool work, short sea sessions and a first controlled open-water event. Do not jump from comfortable 1,500 m pool swims to a long race without practising sighting, group starts and breathing in chop. If your final goal is a triathlon, use open-water swims as a rehearsal for calm: learning not to surge from nerves in the opening minutes can be worth more than saving a few seconds per hundred metres.