Top 5 West Cornwall swim on lifeguarded beaches

There are obviously a number of lifeguarded beaches throughout Cornwall. Some we’d class as surfing beaches and some are typically fairly frequently flat. So whilst we’ll include it in the post, you need to check the conditions before visiting.

It might also be an idea to check the lifeguard cover, with some beaches covered for the ‘main’ summer season and some only covered for the ‘peak’ weeks. Best have a chat with the lifeguards before entering the water and inform them of your plans. You could also get some advice on safe routes and the conditions.

PORTHCURNO - offers a beautiful swim. I prefer low tide (a spring low if possible). Best swimming in the morning (10 am) or around 5pm, as you may struggle with parking otherwise. I will warn you that the water is generally a good degree cooler than the rest of Cornwall. Typically crystal clear water, white sand and glorious swimming.

GREAT HOGUS REEF (Marazion) - I’m going for an unusual choice here. Looking at a mid to high tide, in nice flat conditions. This one is a bit of a swimfari. Lots of sea life, seaweed and crazy rocks. More of a swim-snorkel, than a straight swim…you need to keep an eye out for rocks hiding just under the surface. All in the shadow of St Michael’s Mount.

PORTHMINSTER - located in St Ives it’s always a pain parking but you can park up in Carbis Bay and get a 2 minute train to Porthminster or walk…lovely walk in nice weather. Aim to swim mid-to-high tide. You can swim at low tide but it’s very shallow for a long way out. Avoid the harbour area.

SENNEN / GWYNVER - you’d need both with flat conditions and I’d advise swimming at either on an incoming tide. Again, chat to the lifeguards before venturing in.

PERRANUTHNOE - whilst the main beach isn’t the most interesting swim, the beach is lovely and there are some really interesting swims in the immediate area. During the summer months the beach is generally flat but it can pick up swell in the right conditions. *There isn’t much beach at high tide, particularly on a spring high.

2025 Summary

This year was glorious! I might just finish there.

WEATHER & CONDITIONS

Whilst the weather was lovely for most of the summer, the water was odd. I’ve never known the water temperature in west Cornwall vary so much. It would get up to 17-18 degree one day and drop 2 degrees 2 days later. It was up and down all summer. North Cornwall was far more consistent all summer and warmer, then in September north Cornish waters dropped and west Cornish waters warmed right up. It’s now October and the water here is still quite reasonable.

Weather-wise, we were really lucky all summer. We had some glorious holidays. There was the odd holiday that was quite wet and it was wild in September. We held one holiday under the yellow weather warning for wind but still had a brilliant holiday…managing to stay out of the wind. This particular holiday took me far longer than any other to plan but we put on some fantastic, sheltered swims.

We also headed inland for late September - early October and put on a series of quarry swim. So although we had a few storms, we still put on nice, sheltered swims.

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SWIMS

Each year tends to lend itself to certain swims and swim routes and I think sometimes we get into certain habits that continue through that particular season. This year we eased off the St Michael’s Mount, Mousehole and Kynance swims. We did a lot of 3 Bears Caves swims, seemed to end up at Coverack a bit, the Devil’s Frying Pan (Cadgwith)…as well as putting on a few firsts! Porthcothan (a plan B swim) was glorious, Porthkerris has some lovely routes and a great set up on the beach (cafe, changing facilities, hot showers), as well as a swim up the Percuil River, an evening training session at Hayle Lido, a couple of swims (inc. a night swim) at BF Adventures, attempted a swim at Lantic Bay (had to cancel due to conditions) and put on a couple of stunning swims at Porthgwarra (image below).

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EVENTS

2025 saw us put on more mini-events and larger events than ever before.

For the first time ever, we offered the 10K Day Event with shorter options. Entry was available for the 10km event, as well as an option for a 5km and 7.5km route. We split the event into 4 x 2.5km routes. The shorter routes offered swims entry over the first 2 swims, we were also very flexible in terms of on-the-day entry…with quite a few people in the 5K swim staying on and completing the additional 2 swims.

As well as longer events, we also put on a beautiful 3K Day in St Ives. 3 swims of 1km, totaling 3km. Swims were put on at Bamaluz Beach, Porthminster and Carbis Bay. We used the train to get everyone into St Ives, so it was a nice, easy day in terms of logistics and parking. We also saw a big Barrel Jellyfish on the swim. A particular highlight for some of the swimmers!

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WILDLIFE

2024 saw two waves of jellyfish, that hung around for a few weeks in total. I actually had to move the first swim on a holiday last year, which is a first. This year I personally saw around 5 jellyfish (of the stinging variety) all year! With the wind direction constantly changing we didn't didn’t see any ‘waves’ of jellies blow in. Saw a few Barrel Jellyfish, which are always amazing to see up close.

During our July holiday (pretty sure it was this one), we saw a big pod of dolphins swimming off Porthgwarra beach. We then swam at Porthcurno in the afternoon and they followed us across. We had a group of swimmer directly in front of the Minack Theatre in the water, all with their backs to the theatre….watching the dolphins put on a show!

Below, a Barrel Jellyfish with my eldest daughter.

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PROBLEM CHILD

There’s always one swim each year, that proves to be slightly problematic. A swim that has to repeatedly be cancelled or moved to a new route. This year was kynance Cove. Funnily enough, 2024 was a dream year for swimming at Kynance.

*Image from 2024 when Kynance was behaving itself.

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HIGHLIGHTS

It’s been such a long season it’s hard to remember all of the swims and pick highlights!

NIGHT SWIM AT BF ADVENTURES - the night swims are always a massive hit with swimmers. It’s such a unique experience. We’ve also added the option of a sauna to all of our night swim events. This years was no exception. A fairly clear sky, reasonable weather and a great, sociable environment and communal meal after the swim. The site also has very affordable cabin accommodation, meaning that some of the swimmers stayed over night and experienced the same swim and sauna, in daylight hours.

PORTHGWARRA - we had two perfect mornings here, this year. I’ve stayed away from this swim previously, as you can get a really strong current running through. With extensive research and some recces however, we put on two glorious swims here. One, featuring a dolphin display.

ST IVES 3K DAY - just the perfect weather, at a time of year that offered warm water and flat, calm conditions.

THE 10K DAY - a close friend of Sea Swim Cornwall recently passed away. He worked with the team on our St Austell 10K Day event, as well as on various other events. At the end of the last swim in St Austell, Ben was paddling in with the last swimmer and I decided to paddle out and accompanied the two of them in for the last 400m. We had a good natter for 10 minutes about nothing particularly meaningful but it was the last time I saw him and a memory I hope to hold on to for quite some time.

2025 Activity & Suitability

At this stage, lots of our swimming activity has booked up BUT we still have availability on a number of activities and swims.

Below, we’ll highlight different swimming abilities and which activities will be suitable. We go over 3 categories of swimmers, from ‘bobbers and plodders’, slow swimming middle distance & middle and longer distance swims.

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BOBBER, PLODDER, SHORT DISTANCE, NOVICE…

These activities will be suitable for people looking to have a good old social, bit of a dip with water safety, in very favourable conditions, looking at beautiful surrounding and areas a bit off the main drag.

JUNE 21 : St Anthony’s Lighthouse leisurely and short(er) swim (flexible distance). Stunning location, with multiple members on the water safety team. Option to swim again later in St Mawes. Bit of coastal path walking and steps to access. CLICK HERE for more info.

JULY 4 : Leisurely Crantock double. Two dips, one at Polly Joke and one on the Gannel Estuary (bit of a swoosh). Again, a certain degree of choice to distance. Beautiful part of Cornwall. Coastal path access. CLICK HERE for additional information.

JULY 8 : Slow Swimming Holiday, West Cornwall. This one also includes the option of a vineyard tour, at the award winning Polgoon Vineyard. Swims picked from a number of stunning west Cornwall options. Swims completed at a slow(er) pace, distances of around 800-1500m…depending on the swimmer. CLICK HERE to view the booking page.

JULY 16 : St Mawes Double. Very casual, leisurely shorter distance swims. Swimming in stunning, sheltered conditions. This would be ideal for a lovely day out. Fairly easy access, either down some steps or down a slipway. To find out more, CLICK HERE.

AUG 6 : Shorter swim at Porthcurno, swimming out to the point and getting a great sea side view of the Minack Theatre. We’ll then swim across the beach. Optional distance swim, to a degree. Access to the beach across a 250m coastal path and then 200m over a sandy beach. Bucketlist worthy swim in the right conditions…CLICK HERE for more.

SEPT 20 : Sunset and night swim opportunity to swim in a lake that rarely has public access. An event for all and has the option of a lake side sauna. CLICK HERE.

SEPT 21 : Rare opportunity to swim in a lake with very limited access. Lake is positioned near Falmouth. You’ll also have the opportunity to pop into the lake-side sauna post-swim. Perfect for swimmers of any ability. Fairly easy access across a slightly uneven woodland path. CLICK HERE for additional info.

OCT 4 : Full moon swimming event, on the Lizard Peninsula. Ideal for anyone that can swim. Appropriate for all swimming abilities. A large degree of choice when it comes to how long you’re in the water and how far you swim. Great activity to do with a group of friends. Very easy access into the water. Get more info, CLICK HERE.

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SLOWER SWIMMING MIDDLE DISTANCE

JUNE 21 : St Anthony’s Lighthouse leisurely and short(er) swim (flexible distance). Stunning location, with multiple members on the water safety team. Option to swim again later in St Mawes. Bit of coastal path walking and steps to access. CLICK HERE for more info.

JUNE 21 : Meander up the Percuil River. Approx 3km up and back down the Percuil. A stunning river and should be a stunning swim. Aimed at the middle lane of your average public swimming session. Faster swimmers can attend but may well need to double back occasionally. Read on, CLICK HERE.

JULY 4 : Leisurely Crantock double. Two dips, one at Polly Joke and one on the Gannel Estuary (bit of a swoosh). Again, a certain degree of choice to distance. Beautiful part of Cornwall. Coastal path access. CLICK HERE for additional information.

JULY 8 : Slow Swimming Holiday, West Cornwall. This one also includes the option of a vineyard tour, at the award winning Polgoon Vineyard. Swims picked from a number of stunning west Cornwall options. Swims completed at a slow(er) pace, distances of around 800-1500m…depending on the swimmer. CLICK HERE to view the booking page.

JULY 19 : Lantic Bay Double. A rare opportunity to try out a couple of swims right up the county. A lovely beach and beautiful surrounds. Find out further info - CLICK HERE.

AUG 2 : St Mawes / Roseland 5K Day. A series of swims over the course of the day…equating to 5km. We’ll pick the best swims for that days conditions. We’ll also plan them, to minimise travel and problem parking. CLICK HERE and find out more.

AUG 6 : Longer swim at Porthcurno, swimming out to Logan Rock and back. Perfect swim in the right conditions. Access to the beach across a 250m coastal path and then 200m over a sandy beach. Bucketlist worthy swim in the right conditions…CLICK HERE for more.

SEPT 2 : these holidays always book very well. The Lizard Peninsula offers so many world class swims! Access to most swims are fairly straight forward but do require some walking over coastal paths, beaches, the odd rock hop… CLICK HERE to view options.

SEPT 19 : Our ‘End of season’ swimming holiday covers a huge range of swims, with a central base for the swimming holiday. As part of the holiday you also get entry to our night swimming event. It’s a great way to see out the season. Swims will cover a range of speeds and offer variable distances. CLICK HERE to read more…

SEPT 20 : Sunset and night swim opportunity to swim in a lake that rarely has public access. An event for all and has the option of a lake side sauna. CLICK HERE.

OCT 4 : Full moon swimming event, on the Lizard Peninsula. Ideal for anyone that can swim. Appropriate for all swimming abilities. A large degree of choice when it comes to how long you’re in the water and how far you swim. Great activity to do with a group of friends. Very easy access into the water. Get more info, CLICK HERE.

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MIDDLE & LONGER DISTANCE SWIMS

JUNE 21 : Meander up the Percuil River. Approx 3km up and back down the Percuil. A stunning river and should be a stunning swim. Aimed at the middle lane of your average public swimming session. Faster swimmers can attend but may well need to double back occasionally. Read on, CLICK HERE.

JULY 8 : Slow Swimming Holiday, West Cornwall. This one also includes the option of a vineyard tour, at the award winning Polgoon Vineyard. Swims picked from a number of stunning west Cornwall options. Swims completed at a slow(er) pace, distances of around 800-1500m…depending on the swimmer BUT we can easily add distance and faster swimmers can swim ahead and double back. CLICK HERE to view the booking page.

JULY 19 : Lantic Bay Double. A rare opportunity to try out a couple of swims right up the county. A lovely beach and beautiful surrounds. Find out further info - CLICK HERE.

AUG 2 : St Mawes / Roseland 5K Day. A series of swims over the course of the day…equating to 5km. We’ll pick the best swims for that days conditions. We’ll also plan them, to minimise travel and problem parking. CLICK HERE and find out more.

AUG 6 : Longer swim at Porthcurno, swimming out to Logan Rock and back. Perfect swim in the right conditions. Access to the beach across a 250m coastal path and then 200m over a sandy beach. Bucketlist worthy swim in the right conditions…CLICK HERE for more.

SEPT 2 : these holidays always book very well. The Lizard Peninsula offers so many world class swims! Access to most swims are fairly straight forward but do require some walking over coastal paths, beaches, the odd rock hop… CLICK HERE to view options.

SEPT 19 : Our ‘End of season’ swimming holiday covers a huge range of potential swims, with a central base for the swimming holiday. As part of the holiday you also get entry to our night swimming event. It’s a great way to see out the season. Swims will cover a range of speeds and offer variable distances. CLICK HERE to read more…

SEPT 20 : Sunset and night swim opportunity to swim in a lake that rarely has public access. An event for all and has the option of a lake side sauna. CLICK HERE.

OCT 4 : Full moon swimming event, on the Lizard Peninsula. Ideal for anyone that can swim. Appropriate for all swimming abilities. A large degree of choice when it comes to how long you’re in the water and how far you swim. Great activity to do with a group of friends. Very easy access into the water. Get more info, CLICK HERE.

Design your own small group swimming holiday!

Last weekend we took the short drive over to Falmouth and stayed at the breathtaking, Grade II listed ‘Clock House’, courtesy of Classic Cottages. The house consists of 4 delightful rooms (so comfortably accommodating 8), with some world class views, a walled garden offering privacy, as well as an additional outdoor relaxation area in the courtyard, to the side of the building and a walk down through the grounds, to the private beach.

The dining area offers a great social area for the evenings…we decided on a poker night. The front room offers comfortable sofas and a decent size tv for some r & r and the paved patio at the back of the house is in the perfect position to catch the morning (and afternoon) sun. We spend both mornings sat on the patio, drinking tea and coffee in almost complete silence. It was bliss.

Large sliding doors in the lounge allow you to bring the outside in, during the warmer summer months.

All-in-all it was a weekend that the Sea Swim Cornwall team won’t forget in a hurry.

This would be the ideal property to host a small group and take in some longer or shorter, summer or winter swims...or potentially hire or bring your own kayaks, SUPs, paddle boards… There are hundreds of stunning swim locations in the local area. It makes it such an attractive proposition for swimmers! Swim at any (or all!) of the following :

• Pill Creek, a beautiful, protected little inlet off the river Fal.

• Various spots on the river Fal.

• Channal Creek, at the bottom of Trelissick Gardens. Another protected gem. Best at high tide.

• Take a dip at Restronguet Creek and visit the popular, waterside Pandora Inn.

• Various delightful beaches in Falmouth, including Maenporth, Swanpool and Gyllyngvase Beach.

• The entire Roseland Peninsula and St Mawes is a short drive or you could get the ferry from Falmouth (check the timetables for availability).

• Design your own river swimming boat expedition. With pick up pretty much on your doorstep! One Atlantek boat charters.

• Swims within an hours drive could include : St Michael’s Mount, Coverack, St Agnes, Crantock/Gannel Estuary, Gorran Haven, Mevagissey, Charlestown Harbour/Porthpean, 3 Bears Caves, Helford River…so many options!

The beauty of the Clock House’ location is that, as well as having so many swims within easy reach, you have coastline facing in every direction…offering safe and enjoyable swims, even in poor weather. The property has a very handy outdoor BBQ and they also have a great washing line for your wetsuits and costumes!

For more information and booking options, click the button below :

*Most of the areas stated above are perfectly safe in the right conditions. Should you want a swim guide and water safety contact Sea Swim Cornwall. We can attend swims or design you a bespoke itinerary at the last minute (based on the forecast and conditions).

Aerial view of the property

Motorhome site in west Cornwall

I’m frequently asked about accommodation in west Cornwall and suggest some great spots in regards to B&Bs, Air BnBs, hotels, campsites but…was slightly shy of sites that accommodate motorhomes. So this winter I went out and found some.

Fox Farm Motorhome Park was easily one of my favourites. It’s a couple of miles outside of Penzance, so is easily accessible by car or bike. You could also walk into town in around 60 minutes and has access to some stunning, rural walks. The site is nice and peaceful and has limited pitches…which keeps the chances of noise to an absolute minimum. At the time of writing, they’re building new showers and toilets and will also look to increase the size of the site for another 4 pitches in the near future.

A slightly different take on rip currents

A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TAKE ON RIP CURRENTS.

I was looking at this photo and a thought popped into my head. A river works in almost the same way as a rip current and is quite a good way of describing how rip currents work.

It rains on 'high land' and the rain hits the ground and finds the 'path of least resistance'...flowing/seeps downhill and funnels into small streams...that then join other small streams...forming larger streams...joining rivers etc. The water will always flow downhill, due to gravity and always find either the sea or a lake / body of water. Once the river joins the sea and energy from that river disperses very quickly. That's because the water is back at sea level, gravity no longer dictates that 'downhill' flow and the current will fade quite quickly. Also, rivers can be fast flowing, most river/streams are never that wide and rarely travel in a straight line. Rivers will change course and meander.

Rip currents really work in the same way. Water is transported to 'high land' (up the beach) by waves and sometimes large tidal movement. That water will again find the 'path of least resistance' and 'funnel' back down the gradient of the beach or flow out along smooth, hard surfaces - like harbour walls. This is because those smooth surfaces offer less resistance than sand and rocks/boulders on the beach. Rips will move around, meander and rarely flow in straight lines, much like a river....and like a river, once the water in the body of a rip flows out past the breaking waves, the energy of the rip will disperse quite quickly. For the same reason as the river, the water is back at 'sea level'. Much like the river, rip currents are often narrow and can be powerful.

If you imagine falling into a river. The obvious thing to do would be to swim to the side, aim for the bank and pull yourself out...no point in swimming directly against the river...you'll just get tired and won't get anywhere. The river will always win! Exactly the same principle can be applied to the rip current. Rip currents are generally narrow (in the size of swell you're likely to be swimming in, maybe up to 10 metres wide). Aim to swim out to the side and then swim back to shore. Often a good idea to aim for breaking waves either side of the rip.

Here are some of our favourite 'catch' videos

Catching properly is something that lots of people do not execute properly and one of the easiest ways to improve your stroke and ultimately your speed and efficiency. If you don’t catch correctly, you don’t pull the water properly and rate your arms quicker, making you tired far quicker… Getting it right is crucial.

Here’s a collection of our favourite videos on the topic. You don’t have to watch all of the videos in their entirety, far quicker to watch the relevant sections to you and skip the parts that aren’t.

This goes through the entire ‘catch’, from start to finish :

Video no. 2 is Cornish girl and Olympic open water medalist Cassie Patten demonstrating a beautiful front crawl catch. Early wrist drop, early elbow bend and a nice long pull phase, with the palm of her hand facing her feet, nearly the entire time.

In at 3, is this lovely visual representation of an early wrist drop, elbow bend and catch. Really makes it simple to digest.

Great ‘catch’ drill to add to your sessions. Really isolates and focusses on your catch and pull. Feel free to use swim fins, if you like.

Our favourite swim technique channels

I produce a lot of social media content, it’s a crucial marketing tool for us. I say produce, I also use and re-post content made by other people…which includes coaching and technical information from other channels.

Now, here are our favourite 3 channels :

1. THE RACE CLUB - they have a wide selection of highly polished analytical videos, that tend to cover some moderately to highly technical stroke analysis on all strokes. They look at various strokes, over various distances… whilst some of these points might be way too advanced for the average swimmer, they can serve as a good tool to get you thinking about your own stroke technique and set you some aims to work towards.

2. EFFORTLESS SWIMMING - these are less technical videos but probably apply to more of your average open water swimmers. Again, they cover a wide range of swimming topics. These include pool and open water swimming.

3. SWIMGYM - they do lots of short, technical video…based in the pool. They’re also very good at using imaginative, easy to follow visual prompts to get their point across.

Cornish Exploration

A large part of our job is knowing the Cornish coast, inside and out. This involves lots of glorious exploration of the coastline. I’ve been focusing recently on north facing beaches and accessible areas.

Whilst there is absolutely no way of accessing this stunning beach….it’s still worth taking a moment to give it the appreciation it deserves!

Deepest darkest, wild west Cornwall…

22km Charity Swim, 2020

Quite honestly, we started doing charity swims as a PR exercise…granted, we liked the idea of some of these beautiful and crazy swims but the original idea was marketing. We were also keen to demonstrate that we don’t just talk a good game, particularly when it comes to sea swimming.

Having done a few charity swims now, we actually started to properly realise the good these activities can do! We’ve raised a few thousands pounds for charities and funded an aquatic wheelchair for the Jubilee Pool, with enough money left over to pay the maintenance bill for their disability hoist. We research a number of charities before a swim and it’s a really uplifting process, seeing some of the fantastic work they do.

At the end of this challenge (which ended shorter than anticipated), Tom experienced the start of a long, drawn out Rotator Cuff injury. This issue was eventually solved with surgery. Now, back in the pool and swimming/training properly, for the first time in around 4 years(!)…we’re planning the next mad challenge. We have loose plans on swimming the 3 rivers of Cornwall in 1 day. As with most of our plans, there is very little actual planning, we decide a couple of weeks/days before and off we go. More details to come.

Anyway, back to 2020! In 2020 we (I) decided that we should swim 1km on as many Cornish beaches as we could, in one day. We drove and walked/ran between each beach and managed 22 in the end. We experienced some swell, some glorious conditions, some fatigue(!), injury, Tom got caught up in a fisherman line on the last swim, it was all happening…Great experience though.

Big shout out to our sponsor for this swim - Snugg Wetsuits. Awesome custom made wetsuits. Fairly certain they’re still the only custom swim wetsuit maker in the UK. I’ll also give a shout out to GoPro who very generously gave us two fantastic cameras for a previous swim challenge but we also used them for this challenge.

Welcome to Perranuthnoe

SAFETY FIRST - In flat calm conditions, Perranuthnoe can be a very safe beach. I’d still try and swim on an incoming tide and I’d avoid swimming around the ‘point’ or headland etc…unless you know exactly what you are doing. For flat, calm conditions you’d be avoiding swell from a southerly direction and moderate to strong wind from the south. Light northerly wind or cross-shore winds will do. With surf, Perranuthnoe can have some strong rip currents running off the beach. Last year, summer of 2024 there was a beauty of a rip current running diagonally across the beach all summer long! The beach is currently lifeguarded over the main peak weeks of the summer. Have a chat to the lifeguards before jumping in.

Perranuthnoe is on the bus route. You can also walk the coastal path, although it’s slightly tricky from the west and quite a long (but stunning) walk from the east. The beach has a small car park, approx 30 cars and an overflow for the summer of an additional 40-ish.

At low-mid tide there’s plenty of sandy beach and 2 delightful cafes. Beach Cabin Cafe, right on the beach - CLICK HERE or the Peppercorn Cafe just up the road.

To the west - we have what I call the ‘Moon Beaches’. Not ideal if you aren’t steady on your feet but perfectly manageable, if you are. Nice quiet beaches. Swims here are magical. You have an underwater forest, loads of sea life and some crazy rock formations.

To the east - some beautiful, remote and quiet sandy/rocky beaches. Does require a good 10-20 minutes of stunning walks, although the path can get muddy and wet. Especially in the winter months. Again, there aren’t many people around…so be careful swimming, adopt the ‘buddy system’ etc. Swim-wise, you have gorgeous rock formations to swim around. One we’ve called the ‘doughnut’ (low tide) and an arch way (at high), if you can find them.

There are also a number of amazing swims a little further out, in either direction!

Rip Current and backwash examples

Saw this whilst exploring some coast I’m not as familiar with as I’d like. Great example of a rip current and a strong backwash.

The biggest danger here are actually wave surges up the beach and the backwash. Dog walkers or walkers not paying attention, getting knocked over fully dressed and rolling down the beach! If you look at the conditions, it’s unlikely anyone would pop in for a swim…and if you did, the 4-6 foot shorebreak, breaking in 6 inches of water would be your main concern. The rip currents only go out just past the breaking waves…so are actually fairly tame…in isolation.

Rip currents are bodies of water that find themselves above sea level. In this example, a wave having flown up the beach. Once above sea level, the laws of gravity will dictate that this body of water returns to sea level. The body of water in question will naturally find the path of least resistance. On the video (although you can’t see it), there is a stream on the far right, flowing into the sea. This stream gauges a channel out of the beach and creates a natural flow of water into the sea… so you find a rip current here. The slopes either side of the stream encourage the water to flow down hill and the sea water joins the stream and flows out nice and easy. In the middle of the frame you see another rip current. The beach slopes into a slight valley (in the middle of the beach) and the water again, flows down the side of this ‘valley’ and out. The more water that does this, the more this valley has sand carried out with the current and the deeper this ‘valley’ becomes.

*There are actually 3 rip currents just in frame, one on the near side…but I didn’t want to make this article too confusing. You wouldn’t normally get 3 rip currents so close together but there is such a mass of water flowing up the beach with the swell and the beach is so steep, that the water returns back out to sea at high speed…if the waves were breaking further out, some of this energy would disperse naturally on the way in.

Spotting a rip current at Perranuthnoe Beach

In this blog post we look at a straight forward rip current at Perranuthnoe Beach, in west Cornwall. Generally, with no swell Perranuthnoe can be a very safe beach to swim at. However, add a few waves and it can be quite the opposite. They do have lifeguards for the 6 peak weeks of the summer. As you can see in this example. As well as rip on the west side of the beach, there was also a diagonal rip on the east side.

Now in this example, the rip runs from around waist height in the water, right out just past the breaking waves. It runs near the headland. Rips will often run along headlands, harbour walls, rocky surfaces, as the smooth rock offers less resistance and the water flowing back out to ‘sea level’ will always follow the path of least resistance.

What this video does highlight very well and this is generally the case…is that you rarely find rip currents where there is a consistent breaking wave. This is because the depth of the sand creates the waves…whereas rip currents tend to dredge water off the bottom as the water flows out and this creates a deeper channel. This is why waves don’t break in rips. In some instances, they will break further out and then peter out as the wave travels over the deeper section of rip current. This video demonstrates this very well.

Rip Current awareness / Identification

So I popped across to Praa Sands today, as there was a decent swell, with the aim of getting footage of a rip current. Today was a lovely January day, just after a storm…so plenty of swell around.

Now this isn’t your text book rip current and that’s what I like about it. Most rip diagrams show you a perfectly formed rip, running at 90 degrees to the beach. More often than not, rips don’t follow this pattern. They come in all kinds of weird and wonderful shapes and can change shape and strength, depending on the conditions, tidal movement etc.

In this instance, you have a deep(er) ‘trough’ and diagonal rip current which leads onto a shallower bank, where some waves are breaking. This wouldn’t be the worst rip in the world for swimmers, as it would simply push you down the beach (from right to left), onto a shallower bank…where you should be able to get in fairly easily. *It would be more of a problem for children and poor swimmers, as it would carry them out of their depth fairly quickly and induce panic. It would also carry you into the bigger waves, which again can cause panic and issues for less experienced swimmers.

In this example, had the tide been 15-20m higher, this rip current would be much stronger and would lead it’s victims out just past the breaking waves, into deeper water. It’s also worth bearing in mind that if the tide was 20-30m further out (towards low tide), this rip current would simply be dry sand and wouldn’t cause any problems at all. Be aware that rip and their position do change with the tide. The position of rip current on a beach between high and low tide for example, can be very different.

Dolphins at Carbis Bay

I’ve never been a massive fan of drones BUT….after a chat with one of my ‘casual’ water safety members of my team, I made an impulsive purchase. Had a test run that went fine and then headed down to Carbis Bay. After shooting some beautiful footage of Porthkidney I spotted a small pod of dolphins! What a first outing. I can’t imagine a drone would disturb a dolphin but either way, I kept the drone a decent distance away. What a morning! It’s also the first time that I’ve seen a dolphin for around 5 years.

The aim of the video had been to show off the beautiful swimming conditions at Carbis Bay…and the stunning colour of the water. I think I achieved this and captured a small pod of dolphins at the same time!

Cornish Water Clarity

I’ll start by saying the water clarity in Cornwall is generally very good. There are a number of factors and influences on just how clear…but we are generally spoilt. Here are what you generally have to look out for :

1. THE AREA - pretty straight forward. The regularity of swell and wind chop, type of sand and sediment in the local area, nearby rivers….all play their part.

2. SHORT-TERM CONDITIONS - if it’s been windy, presence of swell, a storm, really big spring tides, heavy rain…within a few days of a swim can have a big impact.

3. THE DEPTH - how deep you’re swimming and how quickly you hit deep water play their part.

4. SUN - direct sunlight dramatically improves visibility, as does shade and the time of day.

5. Your goggles!

*A number of the images below are available as ready to hang Plywood art work, from our shop - CLICK HERE to view.

St Michael’s Mount

far west cornwall is blessed with clear water

lamorna cove with sediment in the water, still looking great!

far west cornwall looking glorious

PENZANCE sea front at mid-tide

far west cornwall

kynance cove, on the lizard peninsula

carbis bay, in the st ives area

crantock beach, north cornwall

2024 Review & Highlights

It’s that time of year again…we’ll take a look at 2024 and some of its highlights. Over the last couple of years we’ve been putting in a lot of effort to extend our season into spring and autumn. Part of that effort has seen us buy a sauna tent (highly mobile), just this week!

Mid-winter (as usual,) involved a lot of reconnaissance and research. We found a new swimming spot or two and figured out the logistics.

2024 saw us start way back on 30th March (our earliest start to date). A stunning ‘sauna, dips and coaching tips’ session. Weather was beautiful, water was about 8 degrees(!) and everyone had a great time.

2024 saw the sea warm up very slowly, it did stay warm for longer than usual though…but was definitely cooler than usual until mid-late June.

Shortly after the above session we started various private coaching sessions. With the next proper swim on April 2nd, around St Michael’s Mount. In all, we completed around 40 swims around St Michael’s Mount, with around 12 of those ‘slow swimming’ sessions, having to cancel or re-arrange around 7…due to poor/dangerous conditions.

Amongst other swims in April-May, we completed the Devil’s Frying Pan a couple of times. Which was one of the highlights….and a glorious Gannel Estuary swim or two. It was nice putting on a few Gannel swims, as the north coast had poor conditions for sea swimming, for most of the summer.

For the first time ever, we took a group around Goose Rock. The rock that sits just off Pentire Headland and Crantock, in Newquay. Not always possible, as you need the right conditions but everyone had a great time and a few swimmers put a big tick in one of their bucket-list boxes.

Porthbeer Cove (or Mears Beach) was another new swim for us, in 2024. It offers a stunning walk around from Coverack, a stunning beach and a stunning swim. Beautiful white sand beach, in a beautiful part of the world. It’s in quite a remote location, so normally nice and quiet.

Lots of one-off swims followed…including more swims in the Gannel Estuary, swim across Fistral Beach, Mousehole island swim….and a ‘5K Day’ event, originally aimed for north Cornwall but had to retreat to Gorran Haven and Vault Beach due to the conditions. Gorran and Vault however, offer great options and a great day had by all.

One of my personal favourites had to be a swimming double at Porthcurno/Porthchapel. We visited the two because of strong winds and got the location perfect. Shortly followed by a perfect day at Kynance Cove and 3 swims.

This year the ‘Slow Swimming Day Out’ on the Helford was a touch more challenging than usual but we still managed a good 3 swims and very pleasant conditions…finishing at Trebah Gardens, where swimmers got the chance to check out these stunning gardens in the sunshine.

Having had limited access to the 3 Bears Caves swim in 2023, as all the sand on the beach had been ripped away in a storm, we took full advantage of the beach partial come back and put on some cave swims this year. Had some thoroughly happy swimmers!

Next up were a few swims in the Mousehole area and a bit of activity in St Mawes. Some glorious swims in near perfect conditions, over this period. As well as a 4km swim in Mousehole, with a bit of swell.

Charlestown to Porthpean was next up…and later in the year we returned to the Mevagissey area. I’m not a huge fan of St Austell as a town but it has some stunning surrounding areas and is a great swim destination! Including another first, near Mavagissey (pictured below).

Over the next month was a series of one-off swims, mainly around the St Ives and Penzance area. Carbis Bay and Porthminster were visited frequently to avoid strong southerly winds.

Along with Goose Rock (mentioned earlier), we sadly had to cancel a couple of swims that are very condition dependent…such as Polly Joke to Crantock.

SWIMMING HOLIDAYS

We had a number of really enjoyable swimming holidays but I think for us the highlights were the Lizard Peninsula swim hol and the end of season swimming holiday.

A swarm of jellyfish made the Lizard Peninsula holiday interesting but we simply moved coasts and had some glorious swims neat Church Cove/Poldhu. We then managed to up the ante and put on a simply world class swim at Polurrian Cove and the 3 Bears Caves…finishing a great weekend in the Lizard, at Kynance Cove for an exciting shorter route (escaping the wind).

Sadly we had to cancel the last swim on the end of summer swim holiday but 4 glorious swims on the Friday-Saturday more than made up for it. Starting at Carne Beach and then stopping at the lovely De Barra Cafe in St Mawes and going on to swim at Tavern Beach (which is always a joy). Saturday was the turn of Towan Beach on the Roseland (another first for us) in amazing sunshine and finishing at Porthscatho.

Late summer is night swimming territory. This year we went back to Trevassack Lake…always a pleasure and added the Cornish Tipi Campsite to the list. Both stunning lakes, that offer sheltered conditions, great food and a sauna option, this year.

One of my favourite swims was supporting my auntie around St Michael’s Mount. She wanted to do it for years and she lives in Australia…so it was great seeing her swim the island.

A visual of some of our 2023-2024 highlights…

Lidos in the 'North'

Being Cornish and only leaving Cornwall when I really have to…I had to look this up! In this blog post we’ll go over Lidos found in the north of England. Wikipedia tells me that the north consists of Cheshire, Cumbria, Cumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Westmorland and Yorkshire. So this is where I’ll start.

Hopefully below you’ll find a list of all of the public lidos you’ll find in these areas.

Albert Avenue Pools - just undergone a major (£11 million-ish) refurbishment. Consists of a lovely pool, impressive gym facilities and poolside sauna. A video on their progress - CLICK HERE. (Hull).

Askham Outdoor Swimming Pool : 20m swimming pool and kids paddling pool. Surrounded by a large, social grass area. They have a little kiosk serving refreshments. Couldn’t find any video footage. (Cumbria).

Grange Lido - absolutely stunning building and word on the street is that it’s re-opening 2024! Click here to view their campaign - CLICK HERE. (Cumbria).

Greystoke Open Air Swimming Pool - small (18 x 9m) heated outdoor swimming pool, with kids pool. Found in the heart of a beautiful village. Video footage of a summer event at the pool - CLICK HERE. (Cumbria).

Helmsley Open Air Swimming pool - heated 25m outdoor pool. Best checking out their Facebook page. Video footage of the pool - CLICK HERE. (Yorkshire).

Hunsonby Swimming Pool - a small, community based pool in the heart of Hunsonby. Has some great reviews online. Couldn’t find any video! (Cumbria)

Ingleton Open Air Pool - heated, open air 20m outdoor pool. Set amongst a stunning backdrop in north Yorkshire. Aerial footage of Ingleton & the pool - CLICK HERE. (Yorkshire).

Lazonby Swimming Pool : A 17 x 8m outdoor, heated pool and also has a kids pool on site. The pool is run by a charity, mainly comprised of local volunteers. The pool is run by green energy, which is always nice to hear. It sits on the banks of the river Eden and has a campsite attached…always great for a weekend away. Video footage of the facility - CLICK HERE. (Cumbria).

Marbury Park Open Air Pool - found in Marbury country park. Run by Marbury Park Swimming Club and some brilliant volunteers. View the pool and grounds - CLICK HERE. (Cheshire).

Nantwich Outdoor Brine Pool - 50m outdoor heated pool…which is a little tricky to find any information on. Originally built in 1935. Some footage of the pool - CLICK HERE. (Cheshire).

Shap Swimming Pool - volunteer run. The countries highest lido, it’s 16.5m long and heated to around 26 degrees. Poolside areas to relax and sun yourself, as well as a cafe. Footage of the pool - CLICK HERE. (Cumbria).

Stanhope Open Air Swimming Pool - a charity-run, heated, open air swimming pool. The pool measures 25 x 13m and boasts a kids pool, springboard, cafe, shop and sauna. Only video footage I could find - CLICK HERE. (Durham).

The winds influence on swimming conditions

This morning I made a video looking at how the wind will impact on your swim and it's influence on choppy conditions. We cover the basics and some slightly more technical stuff. We use Long Rock Beach as an example. *What I don’t mention is that if the wind gets really strong it tend to have a habit of bouncing off surfaces, bending round headlands and cliffs...the rules go out the window a little.

I use the example in the video of Long Rock Beach but the principles can be used at any beach. Be aware that there are more factors to consider than just the wind. We don’t go over tides, rips, rivers, estuaries, weather patterns etc in this video.

If you’re unsure how to view the wind direction or how to look it up online, click below and read our blog post on exactly that.

The West Cornwall Swimming holiday Menu!

…well, part of it. There are loads more options but we’ve included some of the main ones. West Cornwall is full of iconic swims and some real crowd pleasers but there are also loads that are just as stunning, that you simply wouldn’t have heard of!

Our standard swimming holiday groups swim an average of around 2 - 2 1/2 mins per 100m over a longer distance swim. It’s not so much about the speed, more about covering the distance. We then have ‘slower swimming holidays’ that cover shorter distances, at a slower pace and new to 2024…the ‘Short, Slow and Social’ swimming holiday. This one is designed for the ‘dippers’.

Some of the glorious swims on offer, with a video at the bottom :

St Michael’s Mount (various routes)

Mousehole (a number of different routes) including the island and Penlee Lifeboat Station

Porthcurno and Porthchapel

Porthgwarra

3 Bears Caves Swims

Praa Sands…various routes, including cave swims

Lamorna Cove (a couple of routes)

St Ives, including Carbis Bay, Porthkidney, Porthminster, the ‘Island’ and Porthgwidden

Porthleven

Nanjizal

Sennen

Penzance Prom/Battery Rocks/Newlyn