One of the best parts of summer in Chicago is doing some open water swimming along the lake front. Having a swim loop is a boon for Chicago-based triathletes and open water swims who want to hone their skills and build their conditioning for race day.
In the summer of 2025, our coaches will be running weekly lake swims at Ohio St. Beach near Navy Pier on Thursday nights from 6:00-7:00pm on starting June 19th and ending on August 21nd; we will skip Thursday July 3rd. By 6:00pm, you should be ready to get into the water.
What to Expect at the Lake Swim
Each week’s lake swim will start off with about 15-20 minutes of warm-up and open water skills work on such things as sighting, changing directions, swimming straight, entries/exits, and drafting. We’ll then take the group out for a conditioning swim to help translate your skills and fitness from the pool to open water.
Wetsuits are not required but they are recommended especially during the early weeks when the lake is still warming up. There are lockers down at the beach to store your gear. You will need to bring a lock, and we recommend leaving anything valuable at home.
Managing Beach Closures
We will do our best to run a lake swim every week during the season. We will keep a close eye on the Chicago Park District Beach Report throughout each Thursday to ensure that Ohio Street Beach is open for swimming. If the beach is closed for inclement weather, hazardous water conditions, or water quality concerns, we will need to cancel the swim. In the event of a cancellation, we’ll reschedule, if possible, or issue a refund for the missed swim.
Pre-Requisites for Joining
We ask that those registering the class be able to meet one or more of the following pre-requisites:
- Able to swim 300 yards of continuous freestyle in a pool with minimal breaks except to turn around at the walls
- Have completed the Freestyle 3 class in the Chicago Blue Dolphins curriculum
- Have already completed a sprint distance or longer distance triathlon or equivalent open water swim distance
If you meet at least one of those standards and you want to work on your open water swimming, continue on to the Registration Options section below to select your plan.
If you don’t those standards or if you are not sure if you are, you can call our main phone at (773) 342-7250 or email us info@chicagobluedolphins.com to get assistance.
Registration Options
This year, we are offering several payment options to deliver different levels of flexibility and savings. Click the name of the payment option to be directed to a paywall. Note: We will not be running an open water swim on Thursday July 3rd.
- Full 2025 Season Pass (June 19th to August 21st): $200.00
- 2025 Session 1 Pass (June 19th to July 17th): $112.00
- 2025 Session 2 Pass (July 24th to August 21st): $140.00
- Single Lake Swim Drop-In: $33.00
For the session and drop-in options, you’ll need to sign up again for the next session or for each lake swim you attend, respectively.
If you have questions about registration or you experience problems during registration, please call our main phone at (773) 342-7250 or email us info@chicagobluedolphins.com.