Open Water Swimming Pace Calculator

Explore the pace you need to hit to reach your open water swimming goal finish time.

Pick your distance and goal time to see the pace per 100 you need to hold, with a full split breakdown. Open water adds current, chop, and sighting, so treat the even model as a starting point and tap any split to set your own pace where the conditions change.

Select Your Distance & Goals

::

The same pace from start to finish.

Open Water Swimming Race Summary

Pace / 100m
3:00
Pace / 100yd
2:45
Finish time
15:00
Distance
500 m

Edit Your Pacing

Splits

Edit pacing details below and your finish time & race summary will update accordingly.
MarkSplitPace / 100m
100 m3:000:03:00 elapsed
200 m3:000:06:00 elapsed
300 m3:000:09:00 elapsed
400 m3:000:12:00 elapsed
500 m · finish3:000:15:00 elapsed

Keep this plan

Create a free account and this plan is saved to your profile.

About This Sport

Endurance Grid is here to help you understand the sport, decide if it’s the right fit, and learn how to prepare. For course distances, logistics, and race-day specifics, always defer to the race organizer’s event page.

Swimming events drop you into something that demands navigation, feel, and focus all at once. It's a sport that rewards the quietly competitive — the ones who do the work in the water before anyone's watching.

Read the Guide

Open Water Swimming

Open water races take place in lakes, rivers, bays, and oceans. Distances can run anywhere from a short 500m swim to 10K marathon events. Just you and the water.

Race Near You

Find a Open Water Swimming Race Near You

Enter a city or ZIP to see the closest upcoming open water swimming races to line up for.

Upcoming Open Water Swimming races

Oct
17
Sat
Swimming
MPSF Open Water Championships - Masters/Open 5 Kilometer and 1 Kilometer Open Water Swim
Long Beach Marine Stadium, Long Beach, CA
5K · 1000m
Avg 78° / 59°·15 ft city elevation
Oct
17
Sat
Swimming
Aqua Adventures
1332 S Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, SC
Avg 70° / 49°·927 ft city elevation
Oct
18
Sun
SwimmingTriathlonAquabike+3
2026 Cal Tri LA - 10.18.26
Dockweiler State Beach - Parking Lot 2, Playa Del Rey, CA
5K · 10K · Sprint · Olympic · 500m · 1500m
Avg 74° / 57°·100 ft city elevation
Oct
24
Sat
Swimming
Live Wildly Open Water Team Challenge, Celebrating Worlds Swim Day
1501 Guf Way, Saint Pete Beach, FL
10K
Avg 82° / 68°
Oct
24–31
Sat–Sat
SwimmingRunning
Ormond Beach Senior Games
351 Andrews St, Ormond Beach, FL
Avg 82° / 68°·9 ft city elevation
Oct
25
Sun
Swimming
Shark Attack at Twin Lakes
19230 Morris Ave, Manvel, TX
5K · 10K · 1000m · 1500m · 2 mi
Avg 80° / 60°·52 ft city elevation
Oct–Dec
27–10
Tue–Thu
Swimming
October Group Lessons 2026
Williams Center, UW-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI
Avg 55° / 36°·851 ft city elevation
Nov
1
Sun
SwimmingTriathlonAquabike+3
2026 Optimism Cal Tri Newport Dunes - 11.1.26
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina - (Parking 10 Dollars), Newport Beach, CA
5K · 10K · Sprint · Olympic · 500m · 1500m
Avg 71° / 58°·0 ft city elevation
Nov–Dec
1–6
Sun–Sun
Swimming
J-HAWK NOVEMBER - DECEMBER PRIVATE SWIM LESSONS
Williams Center, Whitewater, WI
Avg 53° / 34°·851 ft city elevation
Nov
7
Sat
SwimmingRunningUltra
Unity Beach Swim - Aquathlon & Run Training Races (November)
15100 Gulf Blvd Maderia Beach, Saint Petersburg, FL
Avg 79° / 63°·24 ft city elevation

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate my swim pace?
Swim pace is measured per 100. Choose a distance and enter a goal time, and this calculator returns your pace per 100 meters and per 100 yards, along with a split for every 100m or 500m of the swim.
What is a good open water swim pace?
It depends on the swimmer and the water — current, chop, and temperature all change open water pace, and it usually runs slower than the same distance in a pool. Any pace that gets you to the finish is a valid goal; use the calculator to work backward from your target finish time.
What distances does this open water swimming pace calculator handle?
This open water swimming pace calculator can help you track pacing for any open water swimming distance. It will help you track your goal time, pace by split, and split time.