Well, I was never afraid of open water. I swam in lakes as a kid... and I became a certified SCUBA diver when I was 18. I have been diving up to 120 feet... so swimming in OW is not scary for me.

Although, I was INTIMIATED by the OWS experience associated with a tri. I wasn't sure how to site, and how to swim with other people... and no lane ropes to keep us all in order.

So, to make sure that I was prepared... I took 4 OWS clinics at a local lake hosted by the Master's swimming team in town. This gave me the confidence to know that I could swim OW in a tri.

In fact, these days, I actually REFUSE to do a tri with a pool swim. I honestly hate it. It's worse than OW if you ask me.

And... even after all my practice and competing in OW tri situations and loving it... when I had to do the wetsuit OW swim... I felt panic. I couldn't breathe... it was horrible. I just talked myself through it, and kept stroking. It worked out.