Coastal Swim Cast

A Hoy Hoy! This week Terri and Allie dive into the wetsuit debate. Our recent post about the negativity some swimmers get for wearing a wetsuit took off, and you had a LOT to say! We talk about why it doesn't matter what you wear in the water, as long as you're safe, warm and enjoying it.

We also share how our talk to the U3A went, where we showed what Coastal Swim Coaching is all about and how much fun our community has together, in and out of the sea.

Big news: our...

Do you ever find it hard to acknowledge just how far you’ve come with your swimming? Or do you find yourself sticking to the same lane, rather than challenging yourself to swim with faster swimmers? This week, we’re chatting about recognising our own progress, celebrating those improvements and finding the confidence to push ourselves out of our comfort zones. Sometimes we’re better than we give ourselves credit for!

🏊‍♀️ Big news! We’re now the proud owners of an endless pool! We’re SO excited about this next chapter for Coastal Swim Coaching, with our new hub aiming to b...

In this episode, we chat about the exciting plans for an endless pool coming to Hele Business Park and how it could transform swim coaching opportunities throughout the year.

As we head into the colder months, we discuss the importance of setting realistic winter goals, whether that's improving your front crawl, building confidence in the sea, increasing fitness, or simply staying consistent when the temperatures drop.

Our Drill of the Moment is a simple but effective kicking drill: swimming with your goggles tucked around your ankles. It might sound strange, but it's a brilliant way...

This week on the podcast, we're having a good catch-up and sharing what we've both been up to recently, including something quite rare for us—a welcome weekend off!

With the seasons beginning to change, we discuss how to prepare for winter swimming, from managing expectations and maintaining consistency to acclimatisation, kit choices and making the transition into colder water as enjoyable as possible.

Our Drill of the Moment is bilateral breathing. We chat about the benefits it can bring to your swimming, from improving balance and symmetry in your stroke to helping you adapt mo...

This week on the podcast, we're diving into the fascinating world of tidal streams and exploring how incoming and outgoing tides affect the direction and movement of the water around our coastline.

We also chat about some of our recent swims in South Devon, sharing stories from the beautiful swims and how seeing our swimmers achieve distance swims brings us so much joy 

Our Drill of the Moment focuses on breathing patterns. We discuss why varying your breathing can train your lung capacity.

As always, we finish with Tell It To The S...

This week on the podcast, we're discussing why swimmers should focus on building stamina before chasing speed. We explore how a strong aerobic base helps improve technique, efficiency and ultimately leads to faster swimming in the long run.

We also chat about the reminder we all need from time to time: comparison is the thief of joy. In a world where it's easy to measure ourselves against others, we discuss the importance of focusing on your own journey, your own goals and celebrating your own progress.

Our Drill of the Moment is 8 fast strokes followed...

This week, we're talking about a huge milestone for Coastal Swim Coaching, our exciting new venture into our own premises and the arrival of our endless pool!

We share why we're so excited, the opportunities this will create for coaching, education and swimmer development, and how this next step will help us continue growing our community and supporting swimmers of all abilities.

We're also reflecting on how thrilled we are that swimmers are travelling from outside the area to join us for coastline swims, Sea Squad sessions and coaching. It means so much to know...

What does it really take to improve your swimming?

In this episode, we explore why progress often starts outside your comfort zone. Whether you're trying to swim further, faster, improve your technique or overcome fears in the water, growth requires a willingness to embrace discomfort and trust the process.

We discuss the importance of thinking like an athlete showing up consistently, focusing on the small improvements and understanding that the best swimmers aren't necessarily the most talented, but often the most persistent.

Our Drill of the Moment is the humble pull buoy. We...

After a little break from podcasting, we're back!

In this episode, we chat about why we've been absent from the podcast lately and how life has been incredibly busy, particularly with our work on the Into the Blue project.

We also take a deep dive into our recent Dart 10K swim, sharing what we loved about the event, the experience of swimming such an iconic route and why it's one of our favourite swims to date.

One of the highlights of the episode is celebrating the achievements of our swimmers. From overcoming fears...

This week we're diving into swim goals and asking whether we're always too focused on the next challenge instead of recognising how far we've already come.

We discuss why goals can be important, but also why it's easy to forget the achievements along the way as the goalposts continue to move. From confidence and distance to pace and performance, when do we stop and appreciate what we've already accomplished?

Our Drill of the Moment focuses on speed work, exploring why every swimmer can benefit from incorporating speed drills into their training and how they can...

After a week away from the microphones, we're back catching up on everything that's been happening both in and out of the water.

We chat about an unexpected day off that turned out to be a real treat for one of us, before discussing the serious topic of cold water shock. We explore why education around cold water safety is so important and talk about our work with William from Tide School to help raise awareness and improve understanding.

Our Drill of the Moment focuses on using fins and how they can help improve body po...

In this week’s episode we reflect on our incredible Egypt Swim Trek adventure and what a special experience it was to share it with our swimmers 🌊☀️

We talk about the joy of watching swimmers achieve goals they never thought possible, grow in confidence and massively increase the distances they could swim throughout the trip.

We also dive into the magic of the Red Sea and all the amazing sea life we encountered, including a very special stand out octopus moment that we definitely will not forget 🐙✨

Our Drill of the Moment is the Broken Arr...

In this week’s episode we do a deep dive into Allie’s beach lifeguard training and everything she covered during the week, from skills and assessments to what she learned along the way, and why it matters so much for safety in and around the sea 🌊

Our Drill of the Moment is the Torpedo, a brilliant drill for improving balance, body position and core connection, whether you swim in the pool or open water.

We also share our Tell It to the Sea moments, reflecting on some lovely experiences from the week and the moments...

In this week’s episode we reflect on a brilliant community beach promenade tidy-up, where we tackled a huge amount of sand build-up, a real team effort and such a rewarding way to give back.

We then dive into the idea of racing to failure, how easy it is to rush progress in training, and why taking your time is key to avoiding injury, improving technique and building long-term strength in the water.

Our Drill of the Moment is the Torpedo, a fantastic exercise to help improve balance, streamline and core engagement, essential for a mo...

In this week’s episode we take you to Bude for our recent kayak course, where things didn’t quite go to plan… thanks to some seriously high winds and a rather interesting attempt at camping overnight 😅🌬️

We also dive into a really honest conversation about why we exercise, is it for fun, for fitness, for weight loss, or something more? A topic we know so many of you will relate to.

Our Drill of the Moment is the 50p squeeze, a simple but effective way to engage your glutes and activate your core, helping you feel more...

This week we’re sharing some exciting updates, starting with a brilliant opportunity from within our swim community, the chance to make use of a boat, opening up a whole new world of adventure for our sea swims.

We also chat about a new endless pool business idea, what it could look like, and why we’re so excited about the possibilities it could bring.

The conversation then turns to something deeper, the value of our health. How much is it really worth to us? And what would we be willing to invest to protect and...

In this week’s episode we share our experience of completing our Level 2 Powerboat course. From discovering that a steering wheel is actually called a helm, to learning how to read charts and understand navigation. With our own power-steered boat, this felt like an important step for us as we plan to use it more to support our swimming and coaching.

We also dive into a more serious discussion about Dirty Business and the shocking behaviour of water companies and what it means for those of us who love spending time in the sea.

Our Dr...

This week we’re talking about the incredible achievement of the Great Icelandic Swim and what it really takes to fuel a challenge of that scale. We dive into the huge calorie demands of endurance swimming and why properly fuelling your body before, during and after swims is absolutely essential.

We also share some exciting updates about our upcoming courses, including a kayak course and a Level 2 powerboat course, both focused on building safety and confidence on the water, something we’re passionate about for our swim community.

Our drill of the moment is the 3 Poin...

This week we’re soaking up those dreamy conditions, flat calm seas and an air temperature that’s finally starting to feel a bit kinder. The kind of swim that reminds you exactly why you love being in the water.

Allie shares how she’s rediscovered her love of sewing (and why it’s bringing her so much joy), before we dive into our main topic: mobility and flexibility. We chat about why they’re so important for swimmers, how they help your stroke efficiency, reduce injury risk, and make swimming feel smoother and stronger.

Our Drill...

This week we’re lacing up our trainers and surprising ourselves… yes, we’ve entered our jogging era and we’re actually proud of it 🏃‍♀️👏

We dive into a topic many swimmers quietly struggle with - cramp. What causes it, how to reduce the risk, and what to do if it strikes mid-swim. 

Our drill of the moment is the brilliant single-arm drill, perfect for improving catch, body position, breathing control, and identifying imbalances in your stroke.

And we finish with our Tell It to the Sea moment, where the water became a place of release, res...

This week we’re swapping sea legs for running shoes as we share how adding a morning run is challenging us in new ways and helping boost our swim cardio. It turns out trying to stop Terri moving the goal posts is an actual thing! 

We dive into breathing, why so many swimmers struggle with it, how carbon dioxide build-up affects endurance, and why establishing a breathing rhythm early can completely change how you feel in the water.

Our drill of the moment is the brilliant 6-Kick Switch, perfect for improving body position, balance, rotation and...

In this episode, we’re sharing all the details about our newly refreshed coastline swims for the upcoming season, what’s changing, what we’re excited about, and how we’re shaping them to give swimmers an even better experience in the water.

Our drill of the moment is sculling, why we love it, how it improves feel for the water, and why it’s such a powerful tool for connection and control.

And of course, we finish with our Tell It to the Sea moment, where we enjoyed a rare sea dip together with no pressur...

We’re looking ahead to the upcoming summer swimming season and chatting about how our pool squad is evolving, and how that progress is translating into more confident, effective swimming in the sea.

We share our drill of the moment, thumb to bum, breaking down why it’s such a useful tool for improving the push phrase, connection, and overall stroke flow.

We also wrap things up with our Tell It to the Sea moments from the weekend, reflections, stories, and a little water wisdom from recent swims.

Whether you’re training for summer...

In this episode, we’re chatting all about our recent London weekend adventures, from taking on the Race Across London challenge, to diving deep into stroke analysis at SwimTrek, and finishing it all off with a swim at the iconic Sea Lanes pool.

We reflect on what we learned, what surprised us, and how these experiences continue to shape the way we swim and coach. As always, we also share our drill of the moment, this week focusing on kicking for body position and why it’s such a game changer for balance, efficiency, and overall feel in th...

This week, we’re letting you in on one of our biggest game changers in coaching — our bone conduction speaker pucks

We talk about how we use this technology with both ourselves and our swimmers to communicate in real time while swimming. From correcting technique and improving form mid-stroke, to offering reassurance, encouragement, and motivation exactly when it’s needed — this has completely transformed how people learn, progress, and connect in the water.

But it’s not just about faster or more efficient swimming. It’s about confidence, clarity, and feeling supported while you’re actually in th...

We dive into the world of pool training and what it really takes to knock time off a 400m swim. We talk through the physical training required, from structure and consistency to pacing and patience — and explore the mental stamina needed to keep showing up when sessions get tough.

This episode is about more than speed, it’s about commitment, belief, and staying connected to why you swim in the first place.

Perfect listening for anyone working towards a swim goal, in the pool or beyond

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In this episode, we’re welcoming the New Year with a positive mindset. We chat about how to approach winter swimming and the importance of fuelling your body properly, sharing simple, practical tips to support warmth, energy, and recovery in cold conditions.

And of course, we finish with our drill of the moment — a focused technique exercise to help you swim more efficiently and feel stronger in the water.

A great listen if you’re looking to start the year feeling motivated, supported, and ready for winter swims 🎙️🌊

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In this special end-of-year episode, we’re taking a moment to look back on everything 2025 has brought. From awards and Channel swimming to unforgettable coastline swims — and even buying our very own Coastal Swim Coaching work van — it’s been a year full of growth, challenge, and joy.

Join us as we reminisce, reflect, and celebrate a truly fabulous year of Coastal Swim Coaching, the community that made it possible, and the adventures that lie ahead 🎙️🌊

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This week we’re catching up on how the Seas the Season challenge is going — the swims, the smiles, the surprises, and all the festive fun so far.

We’re back with Drill of the Moment, and we’re talking all about the Catch-Up Drill — when it’s useful, how to do it well, and how it can help with timing and body position

Perfect listening for pool swimmers, open-water lovers, and anyone wanting to swim a little smarter this season.

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In this episode, we take a moment to catch up on life, coaching, swimming, and everything in between. It’s been a whirlwind, so we’re diving into how we’re both doing and what’s been happening behind the scenes.

We’re also launching a brand-new segment we’re really excited about: Drill of the moment. Each episode we’ll break down a specific swimming drill, explain why it matters, how to do it well, and how it can transform your stroke. Whether you’re a pool swimmer, an open-water lover, or just drill-curious, this one’s for you!

D...

In this episode, we dive into our brand-new Seas the Season Challenge — our 24-day celebration of movement, mindfulness and cold-water connection throughout December. We break down what the challenge is all about, who it’s for, and why we created it as a fun, flexible way for every BODY to get involved.

Whether you’re a seasoned swimmer, someone dipping a toe in the water for the first time, or simply looking for motivation to move more this winter, this challenge is designed to empower you. You choose your activity each day — from sea dips to stretches, strength...

This week, we dive deep into our English Channel Relay attempt — the highs, the heartbreak, and everything in between. 🌊 From battling the swell and jellyfish to the realities of sea sickness and the emotional toll of a dream cut short, we unpack it all with honesty and heart. We talk facts, feelings, and the journey of coming to terms with the outcome — alongside celebrating the epic swims, strength, and spirit that carried us through. 💙

It’s raw, real, and a reminder that sometimes the sea has the final say — but it’s never the end of the story.

In this episode we sit down with Alison, a fellow Channel swimmer who bravely took on the big blue but had her attempt heartbreakingly cut short after just 4 hours – not from lack of grit, but from a full team wipeout thanks to severe sea sickness! 🤢🌊

We chat all things Channel swimming: the rollercoaster build-up in the hours before setting off, the boat (yep, we’re heading out on the mighty Anastasia 🚤), and what to expect when you’re about to spend hours in cold, dark, and unpredictable waters.

It’s honest, funny, and full of insights about th...

Ahhhhhhh… it’s nearly Channel time! 🏊‍♀️ Next week we’ll be swimming to France (hopefully not via Belgium if the tide gets us). The nerves are bubbling, the emotions are all over the place, and yes… snacks are being carefully planned.

We chat about what’s going through our heads in the final countdown, from “we’ve totally got this” to “whose idea was this again?” Plus, we celebrate the absolute legends in our Coastal Community smashing their own swims and adventures recently, we even had dolphins and rainbows!

Massive thanks to everyone cheering, hugging and keeping us vaguely sane...

This week we’re diving into the rollercoaster of staying motivated (spoiler: it’s not always easy!) and sharing how our own training is going. We chat about spotting progress — in ourselves and our swimmers — even when it feels like nothing’s moving forward. Then we switch gears to talk all things fundraising for our Channel Swim charity: the fun ideas, the exciting extras, and how you can jump in and get involved. It’s part training talk, part pep talk, and part party planning — so come along for the splash! 🌊💪

Please follow the links to find out more about...

This week, we’re diving into everything that’s been happening in and out of the water — from sessions and swims to exciting plans on the horizon. But most importantly, we’re sharing an update on our Channel Swim fundraising progress! 💙

We’ve got some fun (and slightly bonkers) ideas up our sleeves to help hit our target — and we’re giving a big shout-out to the amazing people who’ve surprised us with their support so far.

Tune in for the latest, get inspired, and find out how you can get involved in helping us make waves for a...

In this jam-packed episode, we dive into one of the biggest weekends of our training so far. From a full day of Channel relay training with four sea swims—replicating the real deal—to joining a brilliant group for the Bantham Swoosh the very next day, we didn’t stop there. We followed it up with an unforgettable boat trip to Lundy Island, where we swam with seals and shared one of the best lunches we’ve ever had. Oh—and we finally made it to Burgh Island too!

We also celebrate the return of our beloved van Joy, b...

This week, we welcome a very special guest – our great friend and teammate Gemma, one-quarter of our English Channel relay team, "Four the Sea." In this warm and open conversation, we dive into how Gemma came on board with the challenge, what it means to her, and who she’s swimming for.

We reflect on the Swim Trek adventure (or "bootcamp," as Gemma likes to call it!), and how it's shaped our training, mindset, and team bond. But more than that, this episode brings some powerful honesty – as we find out things we didn’t know about each oth...

In this feel-good episode, we celebrate the stunning Larkstone to Hele Bay coastal swim – a local gem that never fails to deliver salty smiles and scenic rewards. We also shine a spotlight on an epic swim challenge by our incredible friend who's taking on ten of Switzerland’s largest lakes for charity – an inspiring feat of endurance and heart.

We dive deep into the topic of mental strength: what it takes to push through when the water gets tough, and how our trusty salty sea dog has been lending a paw in our English Channel training swims. 💪🐾

PAN...

In this episode, we dive into our unforgettable Swim Trek holiday in Greece — from breathtaking island-to-island crossings to swimming in crystal clear waters that felt like paradise. We chat about the amazing people we shared it with, the incredible food (yes, we’re still dreaming about it), and reflect on how these trips work and the pressures we sometimes put on ourselves as swimmers. Plus — as promised — we finally reveal the official name of our van. You don’t want to miss this one!

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