Open water swimming is becoming increasingly popular. And like any other aquatics discipline it needs officials to ensure events run smoothly. The growth in popularity of open water swimming has led to the alignment of the qualification steps for open water officials with those being used for pool officials to ensure parity. It created an Open Water Official Level 1 and an Open Water Official Level 2 qualification.
The first thing you need to do is choose a course you would like to go on. During 2013 there will be several courses available in different areas of the country.
Click here to download the list of current courses.
These include in the South West,
| Sat 20 Apr 2013 | ASA South West, Wellington | OW officials Level 1 | Alan Withers | arwithers@aol.com |
| Sun 21 April 2013 | ASA South West, Wellington | OW officials Level 2 | Alan Withers | arwithers@aol.com |
| 1/2 Jun 2013 | Sea Cadet Training Centre, Weymouth | Open Water Officials training weekend | Alan Withers | arwithers@aol.com |
Once you have decided which course you like to go on, click to download and complete an Open Water Officials Application form to apply for a course.
It costs £8.00 each to register for either British Swimming Open Water Official Level 1 or Level 2. To apply for a course email the person on stated as the contact on the courses list above. You can only apply for level 2 if you are already a qualified Open Water official Level 1.
You can find out more about these courses and download the workbooks here.