Open-water swimming in 2008: Olympic marathon

World Aquatics and national federations write race rules on wetsuits, feeding and water temperature. Those rules do not govern a Tuesday lake dip — local clubs, coastguard advice and park bylaws do. This chapter is a map of practice and history, not a live swim plan. Conditions change by the hour; event organisers and local authorities publish the briefing that matters on the day.

Municipal and club pools publish lane books before open-water leaps. Red Cross / federation lessons gate beginners — a dive card is not a pool pass. Indoor 25 m is year-round; outdoor seasons follow local climate. Open-water swimming mapped for mechanisms, locale notes and limits.

Open-water swimming sits in the swim atlas — mechanisms, locale notes and limits, not slogans. Adoption and meaning follow coastal and inland water sites as much as peak specs. coastguard and training-agency norms. Not a certifying agency, medical advice, or dive briefing. Editorial scores help browsing; they are not certificates.