Why I Signed Up for My First Ocean Swim

On Saturday, July 25, 2026, I participated in The 15th Annual Barnegat Light Ocean Mile Swim. Since one of my goals is to compete in an aquabike covering the swim and bike portions of a half Ironman—a 1.2-mile swim followed by a 56-mile bike ride—I thought this would be a good opportunity to practice for the swim portion of such an event. I had never swum a mile in the ocean before, but over the past two months, I had been swimming once or twice per week in an indoor pool, on top of the weightlifting and calisthenics workouts I had been doing for the past year. That training gave me confidence I could cover the distance, although I knew swimming in the ocean would be very different from swimming laps in a pool.

What to Expect at the Barnegat Light Ocean Mile Swim

There were over 400 people who registered for the event, and just over 350 attended and completed the full course. It was interesting to sort through the results page and look not only at the finishing times, which went from just over an hour to under 19 minutes, but also at the ages of participants, which ranged from 10 to 86 years old. It was encouraging to see a mix of ages and finishing times, which showed that the event was open to swimmers at every level. The course had three heats based on estimated completion times.

I entered the third heat because I had never swum this far in the ocean before. I had also read that a general guideline was to add 10% to 15% to your pool time when estimating an ocean swim time. The last time I swam this distance indoors, I completed it in about 32 minutes. Based on that guideline and my lack of open-water racing experience, I thought it made the most sense to enter the final heat. My goal was to complete the swim in under 37 minutes. At that point, my biggest concern was whether my pool training would translate to the ocean.

Why the Start of My First Ocean Swim Felt So Chaotic

When I arrived at the beach, I was surprised to see how rough the ocean waves were. I was later told that this was the first time the organizers had changed the direction of the swim, from south-to-north to north-to-south, because of how strong the current was. The conditions immediately made the event feel more intimidating than it had when I registered.

After seeing the chaos unfold during the first two heats, I prepared to enter the water with the third heat. Timing my entry between the breaking waves while also trying not to bump into another competitor was harder than it looked. Getting through the waves was only the first challenge; once the swim began, I also had to figure out how to navigate the course.

Sighting Was the Hardest Part Beyond Endurance

I tried to start the race slowly and build momentum as I got a feel for the conditions. The most chaotic part was the beginning, when everyone was concentrated in the same area and had not spread out yet. I accidentally bumped into a few people early on while trying to navigate the strong current, clusters of other swimmers, and poor visibility. Once the swimmers began to spread out, I had more room to settle into a rhythm, but sighting and staying on course remained difficult.

How Fogged Goggles Made Ocean Swimming Harder

That difficulty became even worse when my goggles started fogging up early in the race. This was the most aggravating part of the swim because sighting from buoy to buoy became incredibly challenging. I really didn’t have much sense of how far I had gone or how far I had to go, and I just tried to pace myself and find a good rhythm in the current. Instead of focusing entirely on swimming efficiently, I was constantly trying to determine where I was and whether I was moving in the right direction.

My One-Mile Ocean Swim Time: 31:33

When I practiced swimming a mile in an indoor pool, I usually took four strokes before coming up for air, with occasional adjustments when needed. Throughout the swim, my breathing pattern was probably closer to every two strokes. I slowed down several times, switching from freestyle to breaststroke because sighting was so difficult for me. These adjustments helped me stay oriented, but they also prevented me from maintaining the steady freestyle rhythm I was accustomed to in the pool.

Despite those challenges, I crossed the finish line in 31 minutes and 33 seconds, more than five minutes faster than my original goal. I was happy with the result, especially considering the conditions, but I also felt that I had more energy left.

What I Would Do Differently Before My Next Ocean Swim

My finishing time gave me confidence, but the experience also revealed several areas I could improve before my next ocean swim. After the race, I ended up buying anti-fog spray for my goggles because it had been so hard to see, and I wanted better visibility next time. I later discovered that I had done nearly everything wrong when it came to preventing my goggles from fogging, including touching the inside of the lenses, putting them on while the lenses were wet, and repeatedly taking them off and putting them back on. Overall, I felt I had more to give from an endurance perspective, and I hoped that the experience alone would help me swim faster at my next one-mile ocean swim in Long Branch.

What I Learned From My First One-Mile Ocean Swim

Before my first one-mile ocean swim, I expected endurance to be the hardest part, and physically, it was. Mentally and technically, however, sighting was the biggest challenge because I was constantly trying to figure out whether I was swimming in the right direction. The experience also reminded me not to assume that completing the distance in a pool would fully prepare me for swimming it in the ocean. Experienced athletes make things look easy, but that’s because of all the training they do. Open-water swimming is no different. It requires skills beyond endurance, and those skills can only be developed through experience and practice.

Although the race was challenging, the atmosphere surrounding it made the experience very rewarding. Yes, I registered as The Turbo Turtle because I wanted to stay anonymous, but seeing that name on the official results made completing the challenge feel like a meaningful milestone for the blog as well. Having my wife and parents come out to support me made it all the more memorable. Between the difficult conditions, the faster-than-expected finish, and the support of my family, it was a day I’ll never forget.