Mack Horton is set to swap the pool for the ocean ahead of Lorne’s famous Pier to Pub.

The Olympic gold medalist has tackled the 1.2km open-water swim before, finishing second in 2015.

Horton told Sports Today ocean swims are nothing like the controlled environment of a pool.

‘The start’s always rough,’ he said.

‘There’s always a bit of argy-argy. You just have to get out in front of everyone so they can’t touch you.’

Horton said navigation is an issue for open swims.

‘If there was a black line on the bottom of the ocean, that’d be nice!’

The 37th Pier to Pub race will be held on Saturday, January 7.

Click play for the full interview