Great Debates in Open Water Swimming

Field notes

The site frames open-water disputes as a sequence of blind votes: visitors draw an argument, choose a side, and then encounter the relevant ruling or an honest “to be determined.” Its taxonomy reaches from Olympic racing and Channel crossings to sub-5°C ice swimming, adaptive sport, river current, equipment, and contested claims. The page defines an unassisted swim in concrete terms—textile suit, one cap, goggles, and no touching anything—while noting that the visible demo stores votes only on the visitor’s device.