6 Useful swimming gifts for those who love the water

Music can be a great motivator while exercising, which some swimmers may miss while they are in the water. 

With these waterproof swimming headphones, swimmers can stay tuned in to the sounds of their choice, whether a rhythmic track for a sprint or something more ambient for a relaxing dip. 

The bone conduction bypasses your ear canal to deliver sound directly to your cochlea, which, combined with the open ear design, allows you to listen to your surroundings in the pool.

Built-in Bluetooth allows you to connect to your device, while 32GB of storage gives you ample space for 10,000 songs. You’ll get about seven hours listening time off the headphones—plenty enough for any training session.

Promising review: “They are IPX8 rated and work well in the water, the memory allows you to store your favourite songs on the device and not have to rely on your mobile phone being nearby and the headphones don't actually go over your ears or stop you hearing what’s going on around you, so good for keeping you safe too.

"Music quality is amazing and far exceeds expectations and price point is fair and reasonable.”

Rather than leave your valuables on the beach or poolside, the Swim Secure bum bag lets you keep your phone and credit card on you without getting them wet.

Made out of waterproof 30C TPU, the bag is fastened with a triple sealed pocket, which keeps the water away from your electronics while submerged. 

The adjustable clip around your waist offers optimum comfort, while the bag’s slim design allows it to glide easily beside you in the water. 

Promising review: “Very happy with my purchase, worked really well. Had money, two phones and hearing aids in the wallet whilst swimming and nothing got wet. Very pleased and would highly recommend.”

More ambitious swimmers can track their progress with this TOOBUR waterproof smart watch, which gives insights into laps completed, distance covered and calories burned. 

It also doubles up as a fitness tracker, with the ability to monitor your quality of sleep (and make recommendations to improve it), your resting heart rate and blood oxygen levels. 

Outside of the pool, Bluetooth connectivity lets you stay on top of your email and social media notifications, while Amazon’s assistant Alexa offers regular weather updates, timers and reminders. 

Two hours of charging will give wearers seven days of battery life in normal mode, while the power saving mode keeps the smart watch switched on for 20 days.

Promising review: “Since buying it I have hardly taken it off and I won’t be buying anything else, at least for now…it has all the functions that I want from a basic smart watch. The battery lasts for about five days (it would last much longer but I have heart rate monitoring on all the time and I get a LOT of notifications). The Alexa app works brilliantly, as long as my phone is nearby.”

Swimmer’s eye is a risk for habitual swimmers, because getting into water regularly can make infections around the ear more likely. 

Outer ear infections (otitis externa) cause redness and swelling around the ear canal, ear pain, discharge and sometimes slight hearing loss.

To protect your ears, the WaterDam swimming ear plugs sit snugly in your outer ear, helping to repel water as you swim. 

Made with a one-piece design and heat protection at temperatures up to 200°C, these swimming plugs avoid pieces breaking off or melting, keeping the inside of your ears safe while you are active. 

Promising review: “After suffering ear infections after swimming I bought this product and it has been a revelation. Easy to fit and they work like a charm.”

The most important thing to be wary of as an open water swimmer is the after-drop, where swimmers lose up to 4.5°C of their body temperature after exiting the water—staying warm at this point is crucial.

When you swim in cold water, your body helps you cope with the frigid temperatures by diverting circulation away from your skin and to your core. But on exiting the water, this cooling process does not stop immediately, making hypothermia a risk.

A good quality dry robe is a solid investment for wild swimmers, as it staves off this cooling effect by keeping wearers warm and toasty. This one by Winthome is made with a thick layer of polar fleece, with long sleeves and a snug hood.

It is also ideally shaped for changing your clothes underneath—helping you to protect your modesty in the outdoors!

Promising review: “I love this wetcoat. So much room, very warm and almost goes to my feet. Just what I want when I get out of the water, particularly on a cold winter’s day!”

For a species so well adapted to landlubbing, humans have spent an impressively long time entering the water. The first evidence of swimming can be found in cave paintings in the Saraha, dating back 10,000 years, and we’re still finding excuses to cross the watery frontier.

In Why We Swim, Bonnie Tsui unravels this strange compulsion. Unlike other animals, we cannot swim from birth, and yet we still go to the trouble to teach ourselves, whether for survival, fitness, pleasure, or reasons more philosophical. 

Weaving investigation with memoir, Tsui meets the Icelandic man who survived six hours in the icy sea after his boat capsized, traces the ancient samurai who swam in their armour, remembers the campaign to win African Americans access to the U.S.’s public swimming pools, and more besides.

What emerges is a fascinating and tender overview of our relationship with water and the strokes that let us explore its depths. 

Promising review: “Wonderfully written book about the reasons why we swim and the joy of swimming. Full of facts, stories and adventures. A book to languish in and get inspired to immerse yourself in that beautiful aquatic world.”