Laguna Phuket Open Water Swim, live.

Three hours of sea, the day before the triathlon

The Laguna Phuket Open Water Swim by TriHub takes over the beach at SAii Laguna Phuket on the Saturday morning before the Laguna Phuket Triathlon.

The third edition is on Saturday 14 November 2026, and the whole event fits between 06:30 and 09:30. The 5 km swimmers start at 07:00 with a cutoff at 09:30, the 2 km at 07:30 and the 1 km at 08:00, both with a 09:00 cutoff, and the 1.5 km team relay goes at 08:30. In the relay, teams of three each swim one 500 m loop, in men’s, women’s and mixed teams. Race packs and timing chips are handed out on the beach from 05:30.

Every swimmer must tow a swim buoy; without one, the 2025 booklet says, you are not allowed to start. Age groups for men and women run 18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59 and 60 and over, and under-18s must be registered by a parent or guardian. The organiser places it in the turquoise water off Phuket; the 2025 booklet gave the November average air temperature as 27°C. On Saturday afternoon the same resort holds the triathlon briefings and bike check-in, so many swimmers are also racing on Sunday.

Open water is the hardest place to follow anyone from the shore: all caps look the same. A swimmer can share a link to their own Livebib broadcast, which opens in a browser with no app and no account, and shows the position on the course line, distance covered and a finish estimate that updates as the race goes. Water is also where a phone struggles to hold a satellite fix; when it does, the position is carried forward along the course and marked as estimated, never shown as measured. The swimmer decides who gets the link.