Andrew Wallace

Andrew Wallace

Blog by Andrew Wallace

Look But Don't Touch

Reports of Infamous Portugese Man 'o War Spotted on Freshwater East (and other) beaches in Pembrokeshire...

Here's a bit of interesting info from Wikipedia!


"The Portugese Man 'o War is a marine hydrozoan of the family Physaliidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Despite its ap...

Respect for the Sea - Tides

As soon as summer comes there are invariably tragic stories in the news of of people going missing or drownings in open water such as lakes, quarries or the ocean.

Whilst it is true that each type of open water does come with some inherent risks it is, in my opinion, better to educate rather than ban...

Importance of the Pull Catch Phase

The pull 'catch phase' is very important in generating power and propulsion.


Many swimmers, especially if they are self taught, will adopt a pull that follows the classic S-shape pull where you pull outwards then in then under the body; or will pull with a straight arm which in fact pushes downwards ...

Tenfoot Swimrun Route Report

The Tenfoot swimrun is in its inaugural year this year, 2019. Before the route details, check out the promo video below... if this doesn't make you want to have a go, nothing will!

The organisers of the popular 5K swim event from Tenby to Saundersfoot, as well as the running and hiking events that f...

Gear Review - Head Swimrun Wetsuit

I didn't even know that Head - you know, the guys who make all the tennis gear - made wetsuits to until I started getting more and more interested in swimrunning and followed the European swimrunning groups - Head are prime sponsors in many of the events and make a range of swimrunning gear. I decid...

What Wetsuit Should I Get for Swimrunning

Quite a few people have been asking me recently about swimrun wetsuits and which one would be best.

Swim running is a new sport and the kit is evolving year-by-year but there are definitely some key differences between the standard triathlon wetsuit and a swimrun wetsuit, which are important consider...

How Cold?

We're always being asked how cold the sea is!  In truth you do get to assess it pretty accurately the more you go in the sea, but there are a number of ways you can get a n accurate reading:


1) Use a sports watch


The more expensive sports watches have thermometers built in, eg. the Garmin Fenix 5...

What Shoes Should I Use for Swimrunning

I get asked this a lot. There's no best answer, however a few tips and tricks might help you to make the best decision for your needs to help you start the amazing sport of swimrunning.


The review below is for several different types of shoe, having tried and tested all of them over the last couple o...

Litter Cleaning When Swimming

Unfortunately, this year I have seen more plastic rubbish on the beaches in South Pembrokeshire than in previous years.


Worse, I have seen a fair bit in the ocean when swimming, which is really sad as the seas here are normally very clean.

The Importance of Conditioning

I'm a firm believer in the importance of 'conditioning' for any sort of endurance sport, which means conditioning the body and mind to be able to endure tough conditions for longer periods of time through extended exposure to stressful environmental conditions.


These conditions occur naturally and es...

Swimming with Jellies

It's that time of year again....


The jellyfish are back like clockwork, putting in an appearance from early May and growing steadily in numbers, and size.


Recently at Freshwater East, for example, we have noticed increased numbers of barrel jellyfish and now moon jellyfish have also started to make an...

Getting into Swimrunning

If you are thinking about trying swimrunning but want to avoid spending loads of money to give it a go, read on!

Sure, like most sports, it can be very expensive to get everything at once before you start swimrunning, but to just have a go you don't need much equipment. After all, swimrunning is jus...

Cold Diuresis


Ever wondered why you per a lot when you do open water swimming?

Don't worry, you're not alone.

It is reckoned to be due to something called 'cold diuresis' although the phenomenon is not fully understood.

It’s believed that, when your body temperature drops due to submersion in cold water...

Fixing Wetsuits - Part 2 - Major Rips and Tears

This post builds on our previous blog of how to repair small nicks and cuts in your wetsuit: how to repair major tears/rip in your beloved swim wetsuit.


There could be any number of reasons for your wetsuit ripping but it is normally because the wetsuit has been put under abnormal stress or is nearin...

OK, so it sounds a bit daft to write a blog on how to put on a wetsuit, but as a swim club we meet a lot of people who have actually never worn one before and proper swimming wetsuits are very fragile and as a result of an end up damaged very quickly if they're not put on in the correct way.


So after...

Swimrun Diary - Pull Buoys n Paddles

If you've watched any videos of the latest, fastest growing endurance sport in Europe - swimrunning - then the chances are you have seen all of the participants with swim buoys and hand paddles.


Hand Paddles


Can come in a variety of designs and materials. The one pictured below are webbed, neoprene gl...

Zone 3 Versa Swimrun Westuit Revew

Kit Review of Zone 3 Versa Swimrun Wetsuit

The Zone 3 Versa swimrun wetsuit is an entry-level swimrun wetsuit at a very affordable price of £169.

After a few weeks of swimrunning training, we are coming to the conclusion it is a brutal but awesome sport!


"Brutal" due to the distances and terrain and the constant switches between water and land. Just a 2 hour session leaves me feeling like I have gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Bu...

Swimrun is a new sport and thus much of the kit is still 'new' and rather limited in terms of choice on the market.


Swimrun events take place in wilderness areas with very little in the way of rules and regulations, so too is the kit pretty much up to you to manage and master, often by experimentati...

Swim run transitions are not like triathlon transitions as you swim and run in the same gear, then repeat that over and over again. Distances vary but are usually upwards of 40km+.


In swimrun you carry everything with you, like gels, water etc. Here we are experimenting with the transitions, usin...