Image: John Smith Calculus Entropy
The start. In beach starts, swimmers line up behind the start line on land and run into the water and transition to swimming as quickly and efficiently as possible once the start horn sounds. These starts can be chaotic, both on land and in the water.
If you're a novice open water swimmer focused on completing a race, or you simply prefer to avoid jostling with other swimmers, line up at the back of the group or to the side. This will give you more room to enter the water and transition into your swimming. If you're focused on your time, place yourself toward the front of the pack and hit the gas at the sound of the start horn. Most swimmers fall somewhere in between.
Image: Tom Jones
Running and dolphining. Once you're in the water, you'll need to adjust your running form. Dragging your feet across the surface of the water will slow you down considerably. Instead, you'll need to run with high knees and recover your feet by swinging them wide to the side to avoid dragging them through the water.
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Once you reach water that comes up to your mid-thighs, transition into dolphining. Dolphining is fast and fun. To do this properly and when you reach a safe depth, reach your hands above your head, and dive forward, but propel your hands toward the bottom.