Learn and improve freestyle in open water


Are you looking to improve your freestyle skills? Find our spring and summer 2024-program below. We are looking forward to let you enjoy the open water and work on your personal technical focus. We offer a weekly program based in Muiden/Amsterdam the Netherlands and three open water swimcamps to immerse yourself in a swimweek of technical improvement on the best spots in the world. Our professional swimcoaches are certified lifeguards.


  • Swimfantastic offers a six week-course, where you can learn or improve your freestyle stroke in the IJmeer in Muiden
  • Weekly open water mastertraining on Monday evenings in the IJmeer, private sessions and a swim expedition to the North Sea
  • Open water swim camps – a week of focusing on stroke improvement in open water

  • OpenWaterSwimCamp May: Villa Amalia Greece
  • OpenWaterSwimCamp July: Muiden Netherlands
  • OpenWaterSwimCamp September: Syvota Greece

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Swimfantastic offers a six week-course, where you can learn or improve your freestyle stroke in the IJmeer in Muiden


Are you a swimmer but not very good at freestyle, or do you only swim breaststroke but still want to know how to swim freestyle efficiently? Then this is your chance! We teach technique training courses for freestyle in open water on the beach at the Westbatterij in Muiden. This is a beautiful place with lovely water on the IJmeer near Amsterdam.



We have a maximum of 5 swimmers per coach. This means you’ll be in a small group where you’ll receive lots of personal attention. We'll teach you the freestyle stroke step-by-step.

Our open water courses in 2024 start on Saturday June 8, Monday June 10 and Wednesday June 12.
Saturday morning 9:00 am and 10:00 am, lunch time Monday 12:00 pm in the IJmeer or on Wednesday evening 7.30 pm. The course contains 6 training sessions of 45 minutes. We plan 7 dates for each course, so that we can skip a week in case of extremely bad weather (thunderstorms or very heavy rain or wind, we don’t mind a bit of Dutch rain).

The price is 250 euros for the course, including a swim cap and video analysis of your stroke at the end of the course. It’s possible to rent a wetsuit for the duration of the training, the price is 25 euros for the duration of the course. The course is in Dutch, unless applicants prefer English.


Questions? Ask them!
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Weekly mastertraining open water on Monday evenings in the IJmeer


Are you able to swim 500m non-stop in freestyle and do you want to train in open water to improve your endurance, your speed and your open water technique? For fun, a triathlon or open water race? Then join the Monday evening Mastertraining from the beach at the Westbatterij in Muiden. We will take you on longer swims where we will teach you everything there is to know about endurance swimming in open water. Your coaches are on kayaks or sup boards and guide you through the beautiful waters of the IJmeer.

The training will not take place in BF4+ or bad weather or thunderstorms. In the weekend before the training we check the weather forecasts and decide whether the training will take place. A wetsuit is recommended, unless you’re used to swimming all through the winter without a wetsuit. A swimming buoy is required, as well as a swim cap and goggles.

You change clothes on the beach and can leave your things there. Take valuables with you in the buoy or in the waterproof bag on the kayak. There is limited parking space at the West Battery. The beach is within walking distance of the neighbourhood De Krijgsman in Muiden (Muiden-West from the highway). You can park close to the dike and walk to the beach. Here’s the exact location:



The fee is 25 euros per training. Your every 6th training is free. If the training is canceled at the last minute due to weather, your payment for the training counts for the next training.

Dates: starts June 3, 2023. From 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM.
The training starts exactly at 7:30 PM, so give yourself plenty of time before so that you can be changed and ready at the start.


Private lessons in open water


In open water from May to September on appointment.

With Coach Marjon on Saturday morning in Muiden. With Coach Tine on Wednesday morning or Friday morning on the IJburg Beach and with Coach Marijcke on Monday afternoon and Wednesday evening in Muiden.


Special Swim Expedition

On Wednesday July 17 2024 we invite you to come and have a swim with us in the sea. Depending on the weather and the tides, you might experience riptides, currents, waves or just a beautiful flat sea. We will guide and teach you to swim through all of these!

Fill in this form to receive more information once we get closer to the date:


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Open water swim camps – a week of focusing on stroke improvement in open water


Swim camp with Swimfantastic means:

  • Qualified open water swim coaches

  • Small groups, lots of personal attention

  • Guaranteed Freestyle-skills improvement

  • Applying skills to swimming in open water or the sea

  • Fun week with likeminded swimmers

  • English spoken

  • Every swim session is a learning opportunity


Our 2024 Open water swim camps and what is included

OW Camp
Greece May 2024

OW Camp
Muiden July 2024

OW Camp
Greece Sept 2024

Fee

€ 1.800,00
Final spots
€ 1.500,00

€ 750,00

€ 1.000,00

90 min Technique sessions in OW to improve your stroke and OW skills

7

7

7

Coaching by certified swim coaches

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Video Analysis

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V

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Flight

Transfer from airport to location

V

Accomodation

V

Safety by lifeguard coaches

V

V

V

Swim cap

V

V

V

3 Meals

V

Tea/Coffee/Water

V

Other drinks

Ferry Pampus-Muiden

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Coffee and cake on final swim day

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Lunch on final swim day

V

V

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Non refundable or transferable downpayment due to our small group quality policy

€500,00

€400,00

€500,00

Remaining fee due 6 weeks before start camp

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May 13-18 OW Swim camp Villa Amalia Greece


In a beautiful location on the mainland coast of Lefkas, Greece, you can find the best environment to improve your freestyle skills and apply those in the sea. This is our only all-inclusive swim camp. Enjoy spectacular views, great company and fantastic food. Our personal chef will provide you with authentic Greek breakfast, lunch and dinners. All the food is fresh and local.

This location is perfect for swimmers who want to get to know the sea and improve their freestyle stroke. Swimmers who join this camp must be able to swim 500m of freestyle in a pool.

This is a typical program during our open water camp:

Travelday. Flight Amsterdam-Preveza goes in the afternoon arriving in the Villa in the beautiful evening for a well deserved rest. Waking up TuesdayMorning with the see at your feet.

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We have 7 rooms in the Villa, one with a shared bathroom. If you share a room with another swimmer or partner (separate beds possible) we can offer you a discount. Ask us the fee when you want to share the room with a friend.

The water temperature is on average 22 degrees Celsius in May. The air temperature averages about 25 degrees Celsius.



Getting there

Our home base for the camp is Villa Amalia in Sparto, Lefkas, in Greece. Click here for a drone view.

The Villa is close to the Aktio Preveza Airport. We can book a flight for you from Amsterdam to Preveza. You can join the group transfer from and to the airport or get there on your own.
Transavia flies to Preveza on Monday mornings (really early) and returns on Saturday in the morning.
The camps starts on Tuesday May 14 at 10 am.

We recommend every swimmer to swim with a safety buoy. During clinics and swims we have storage space for your valuables like phone, keys and money. Your coaches will be either with you in the water, or on a sup-board or in a kayak.

The water temperature is on average 22 degrees Celsius in May. The air temperature averages about 25 degrees Celsius.

Food and Drinks

Three fresh Greek meals per day are included. Any dietary wishes? We will do our best to meet them.
Vegan is not an option. Drinks are to be payed in cash at the end of the camp. Please bring cash to settle your bill in the villa and some change to have a drink on the beach or in town.

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July 8-12 Open water swim camp in the IJmeer in Muiden


If you are able to swim one kilometer in freestyle, you are welcome to join our open water swim camp in Muiden. Enjoy our swim clinics and learn to improve your stroke in this beautiful location. When we swim in open water, the elements are dictating our program. This camp focusses on improving in your stroke technique, and teaches you to apply this in open water swimming.

This is a typical program during our open water camp:

We start with a 90-minute morning and afternoon clinic. We make a video of your stroke and analyze what improvements are needed to make you a more efficient swimmer. The technical clinics are built upon the participants’ needs.


The water temperature is on average 18 degrees Celsius in July.  The air temperature averages 20 degrees Celsius. A wetsuit is recommended, especially on longer swims.


Getting there

Muiden is located 10 kilometers East of Amsterdam, and 30km from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The beach we use is located close to Weesp, Muiderberg and Naarden. All of these small cities have Bed and Breakfasts or Hotels. Check out AirBNB or Booking.com. The IJmeer is a big freshwater lake. The beach where we train can be reached by bike and car or on foot.

Location Beach:


The camp starts Monday July 8 at 9 am.

We recommend every swimmer to swim with a safety buoy. During clinics and swims we have storage space for your valuables like a phone, keys and money. Your coaches will be either with you in the water, or on a sup-board or in a kayak.


Food and Drinks

Food is are at your own expense; this gives you a fantastic opportunity to explore and experience the local cafes and restaurants of your choice. The average cost of dinner in a local restaurant is €30-€40.

Coffee and cake on the island of Pampus and the lunch on the final day are included in the fee.

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Sept 23-27 Advanced Syvota SwimCamp Greece

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When you are able to swim 2 kilometers nonstop in freestyle, we welcome you to enjoy this beautiful location so that you can improve your stroke during our swim camp. The stunning coast of Syvota offers great swims, clear water and lovely islands to swim around. Syvota is hilly, so be mindful you might also walk a lot during the camp, depending on where you’re staying.

When we swim in open water, the elements are dictating our program. This camp focusses on technical improvements on your stroke and focusses on applying them in open water. We offer this week morning technical sessions and afternoons guided practices, so you can learn to apply your new skills in the changing waters around the islands.
Friday is the final swim day, when we do a longer swim and finish with a festive lunch.

The water temperature is on average 24 degrees Celsius in September. The average air temperature is 23-25 degrees Celsius.


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Getting there

Syvota is a great place located at the Ionian Sea facing Corfu. You can take a flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Aktio Preveza Airport and catch a taxi from the airport to the place where you are staying. It’s also possible to extend your stay and fly into Corfu, take a local ferry to the Port Igoumenitsa. From here, Syvota centra is a 30-minute taxi ride. On booking.com there are many B&B locations or hotels you can choose from. We are starting most swims from the area of Bella Vraka Beach or Formigari Beach in Syvota



The camps starts on Monday September 23 at 10am.

We recommend every swimmer to swim with a safety buoy. During clinics and swims we have storage space for your valuables like phone, keys and money. Your coaches will be either with you in the water, or on a sup-board or in a kayak.


Food and Drinks

Food is are at your own expense; this gives you a fantastic opportunity to explore and experience the local cafes and restaurants of your choice. The average cost of dinner in a local restaurant is €25-€30.

Sign up!