Swim Canary Wharf

About Ray:

Ray took up swimming in his mid twenties when he began competing in Triathlons. A Channel relay in 1992 began his love of open water swimming.

Starting from scratch and frustrated by the lack of clear information on how to become a distance swimmer, he watched the technique of the talented ex-GB swimmers at his local masters club and realised that natural swimmers engaged the water, rather than snatched at it, breathed rhythmically, rather than gasped, and streamlined their bodies to slip through the water instead of fighting their way through it.

He also studied with the ASA in order to learn the theory behind what he was seeing. He became one of the fastest swimmers in his age group not by being fitter or stronger than the next man, but by using sound swimming technique. His relatively recent journey from ‘holiday splasher’ to fast and efficient open water swimmer gives him an empathy with his clients as they learn, first the basics and then the more advanced propulsive techniques of front crawl.