About r/OpenWaterSwimming
A space for swimmers who follow waves rather than the black stripe, who watch shorelines rather than flags, and who spend more time racing fish than other swimmers. Discuss races, ask for advice, share news updates, and more.
The community at a glance
r/OpenWaterSwimming is a Subreddit for Swimmers with roughly 26K members. It uses a forum format for communication. On the Hive Index it ranks #6 in the Swimming communities list.
Roughly 7K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Open Water, Wetsuit, and Swim. Common discussion themes are Solution Requests and Advice Requests. Product recommendations often mention watch and wetsuit.
Community Topics
Community Features
This community has a forum
Subreddit Analysis
via GummySearchMember growth over time
All time (yearly)
- 2014: 50 members
- 2015: 116 members
- 2016: 148 members
- 2017: 205 members
- 2020: 2K members
- 2021: 1K members
- 2022: 2K members
- 2023: 3K members
- 2024: 5K members
- 2025: 7K members
- 2026: 6K members
Past year (monthly)
- Nov: 589 members
- Dec: 372 members
- Jan: 448 members
- Feb: 326 members
- Mar: 505 members
- Apr: 485 members
- May: 730 members
- Jun: 746 members
- Jul: 733 members
- Aug: 682 members
- Sep: 644 members
- Oct: 277 members
Themes
- Solution Requests2 posts in the past month
- Sports watch for open water + pool swimming?
- Help - Major tear Zone3 Vanquish X Sleeve
#12Solution RequestsSports watch for open water + pool swimming? · Help - Major tear Zone3 Vanquish X Sleeve - Advice Requests1 post in the past month
- Advice for fueling (10km)
#21Advice RequestsAdvice for fueling (10km)
Topics
- Open Water6 posts in the past month#16Open Water
- Wetsuit5 posts in the past month#25Wetsuit
- Swim2 posts in the past month#32Swim
- Open Water Swim2 posts in the past month#42Open Water Swim
- Open Water Swimming2 posts in the past month#52Open Water Swimming
Product recommendations
- watch7 posts in the past month
- Best Open Water Swimming Watch
- Best smart watches for swimming?
- Best GPS watch for OWS? Example of my current watch performance:
#17watchBest Open Water Swimming Watch · Best smart watches for swimming? · Best GPS watch for OWS? Example of my current watch performance: - wetsuit5 posts in the past month
- What's the best way to store your wet suit?
- Best Plus Sized Wetsuit options?
- Hello can we discuss wetsuits? I want one for fall and one for winter im looking at these 3 (see pictures) I swim cheast swimming the Athlex Float does not fit me I think if you guys know about s7 but I got recommended it for it’s good quality and endurance I have never owned wetsuit b4 (see chat!!)
#25wetsuitWhat's the best way to store your wet suit? · Best Plus Sized Wetsuit options? · Hello can we discuss wetsuits? I want one for fall and one for winter im looking at these 3 (see pictures) I swim cheast swimming the Athlex Float does not fit me I think if you guys know about s7 but I got recommended it for it’s good quality and endurance I have never owned wetsuit b4 (see chat!!)
Community Reviews
Frequently asked questions
- Who is r/OpenWaterSwimming for?
- Best for Swimmers enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion.
- Is r/OpenWaterSwimming free to join?
- This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
- How many members does r/OpenWaterSwimming have?
- Roughly 26K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
- What platform is r/OpenWaterSwimming on?
- r/OpenWaterSwimming runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
- What topics does r/OpenWaterSwimming cover?
- On the Hive Index, r/OpenWaterSwimming is organized under Swimmers.
- How do I join r/OpenWaterSwimming?
- You can join r/OpenWaterSwimming by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
- What are the Swimming communities like?
- Communities for swimmers of all levels, from beginners learning the basics to competitive athletes training for meets and open water events. Reddit has one of the largest swimming communities, with dedicated subreddits for competitive swimming, open water, and masters swimming. Forums like U.S. Masters Swimming and Slowtwitch connect swimmers for technique discussion, race coverage, and training advice.
Added 10/19/2026
Similar Communities
8SwimSwam
SwimSwam is the leading swimming news site. Covers elite competition, college swimming, masters swimming, and Olympic-level aquatic sports with news, forums, and discussion.
r/pools
A community for anyone connected to pools, whether you work with them, care for them, or are puzzled by what shows up in or around them, sharing knowledge, troubleshooting issues, and keeping water clear at every level of experience.
r/AboveGroundPools
This is a subreddit to discuss Above Ground Pools (AGP) and AGP related topics.
r/swimmers
A place for swimmers of all abilities, events and distances to share tips, stories, motivation and news with each other.
r/MastersSwim
Welcome to Masters Swim: a place for masters swimmers to discuss the world of masters swimming. Training, clubs, comps, equipment, health and fitness and just the love of swimming for masters level swimmers across international communities.
U.S. Masters Swimming Community
The official community forums for U.S. Masters Swimming. Swimmers connect to share training tips, event information, health and nutrition advice, and regional discussion for masters swimming clubs across the country.