Which swim events are you suitable for...in 2024?

On this blog post we’ll explore which swims and/or swimming activity you are best suited to and you’ll enjoy the most. We’ll go through all the categories of swimmer out there and tell you what’s available. Simply scroll down and find the section relevant to you.

If you’re in a swimming group or have swimming friends or are simply coming to Cornwall by yourself, you have the option of booking private swim/s. Whether it’s a one-off or you’d like to book a series of swims…or you’d like to book in a group for your own private holiday or event…get in touch. Unlike the set-date swimming holidays on the website, you have more of a say regarding times and locations if you book in as a private group.

SLOW / NEW TO SEA SWIMMING

If you’re an inexperienced sea swimmers, just starting out with sea swimming, want to improve technique, comfortable with sea swimming just a bit slower and/or prefer to take your time and do a bit of ‘sight seeing’ on your swim. We’re talking head up breaststroke, slow front crawl, slow-to-middle lane of your public swimming pool session… We have plenty for you. You can start with our sea swim-specific coaching (there are elements of front crawl swimming that are specific to sea swimming) - either a coaching session or series of coaching sessions. CLICK HERE for more info.

This year we’re running a series of short swims and coaching sessions, with sauna activity! As well as Full Moon swims (at night)…we’ll announce these dates later on. For general calendar - CLICK HERE.

We also host water safety / first aid courses. These cover rip currents, planning swims, reading the conditions, as well as first aid, basic rescue techniques and have no restrictions on entry (provided you can swim at any level). CLICK HERE for more info. As well as set-date courses, we also host private group courses.

SLOW SWIMMING HOLIDAYS - swimming holidays that cater for slower swimmers. Swims are tailored to the group and will offer a variety of different swim lengths over each swim. We’ve had swimmers attend and swim head-up breaststroke the entire time, one gentleman in 2023 suffered a stroke (before the holiday!) and could only move the left side of his body…and completed all of the swims! Swims are typically 200m-1500m depending on how far you want to swim. *We can put on additional distance at the end of a few of the swims, if any of the swimmer want to get in some distance. We never have ‘set’ swim holidays, as we choose the swims based on the conditions.

ASSISTED SWIMS - if you’d like to attempt a swim like St Michael’s Mount, you can book a private session and we’ll tow an additional rescue board with us, which acts like a taxi. You can get a tow for parts of the swim and complete the sections you fancy.

SLOW AND STEADY SWIMS - we have a series of one-off swims, designed for swimmers that aren’t the fastest or that simply prefer to take their time. CLICK HERE - for event calendar.

SLOW SWIMMING DAYS OUT - a non-event event. We specify a set area and then let you know where to meet us 2 days before the event. This is because we pick the swims based on the days conditions. This is a very informal, very social day of swimming. We take on 3-4 shorter swims of the course of 1 day. Swim distances are between 200-800m, depending on the swimmer. Very leisurely day of exploring… CLICK HERE for info.

FULL MOON SWIM – you’d be perfectly placed to attend one of our full moon swims. We have a mixed bag of swimmers on these, from head-up breaststrokers to front crawl swimmers that get excited and try and get in a 2km swim!

MEDIUM PACED SWIMMERS 

It’s really tricky conveying what we mean by medium/average pace. Often people are put off or anxious booking our ‘standard’ holidays. Our ‘slow swimming’ activity books up far better. By medium pace we’re talking holding approx. 2 ½ minutes per 100m / 20-25 minutes per km. So…you’re generally looking at the whole of the middle lane of an average public swimming session. We’re simply happy with you covering the distances, rather than too worrying about pace. With our holidays and larger events we have multiple people on water safety, so it’s easy for us to split up and manage a group of swimmers with varied speeds. We also get faster swimmers to double back – they cover a little extra distance and the group stays together.

All of the activities above (slow section) are open to medium paced swimmers. You’re also more than welcome on any one-off swims, as well as our standard swimming holidays. Swimming MOT coaching sessions may be more appropriate, although you’re welcome to book a full coaching session. CLICK HERE for info.

EVENTS – the 10K or 5K events (broken up into a series of swims over the day) are open to anyone that comfortable swimming that distance. They’re more of a challenge, than an event, avoiding mass starts and tight turns around buoys. CLICK HERE for more info.

FASTER SWIMMERS 

Standard (non-slow swimming) holidays would be ideal, along with the 5 & 10k Day events. You can also book one-off swims, for both individuals and small groups. We also book ‘special’ events, like sauna swims and full moon swims. You’re welcome to sign up to any of these. CLICK HERE for event info.

FLEXIBILITY 

We pride ourselves on our flexible approach. If there’s an idea, activity or service you’d like that we don’t currently offer, get in touch. In the past, we’ve supplied a client with a swimming itinerary (for example)…a list of swims and which conditions to swim them in. CLICK HERE for contact page.

Beach Rater - Praa Sands

Another beach in our guide that doesn’t look that enticing. However, a lower rating is based on the fact that the beach regularly gets surf and doesn’t always suit safe/enjoyable swimming. In the right conditions there are a number of glorious swims available, including quite an exciting cave swim and swims featuring rock features.

GUIDE TO 2024

We still have a couple of events in the pipeline, so this may not be a complete list…depending on when you’re reading this. We also offer shorter notice swims (based on the tides) throughout the year and will often create small group swims around individual bookings.

MAY 25 - starting in slightly cooler water but the weather has been great in May for the last few years and these are shorter swims…so water temp isn’t a problem. This is a shorter distance ‘slow swimming day out’, multi-swim (non)-event. Number currently restricted to 24 and some head-up breaststroke is expected…encouraged even! These are leisurely swims, on a social day out. West Cornwall is our back yard and we know it better than any other area in Cornwall. Loads of opportunity for great beach swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. TICKETS / MORE INFO - CLICK HERE.

JUNE 8 - a little adventure in north Cornwall. The North Cornwall 5K Day. Quite simply, open to anyone that can swim….5k (not in one go)! All abilities welcome, provided you can cover the distance over 3 swims. So approx 1.7km per swim (x3). We have a delightful back-up plan in case of swell or undesirable wind. Limited number on the event, avoiding mass starts and tight turns around buoys… MORE INFO - CLICK HERE

JUNE 18-20 - a ‘slow swimming’ midweek holiday based around west Cornwall, the Lizard and Helford. As there is a huge area to choose swims from, this holiday can offer some absolute beauties! We have suggested a centrally located campsite but you can stay where you like. We have multiple members of staff on safety on these holidays, so pace and distance is very flexible. Loads of potential for a mix of beach and river swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. MORE INFO - CLICK HERE

JUNE 25-27 - our standard pace midweek, west Cornwall holiday. By standard pace you’d be looking at the middle lane of a public swimming session (from fastest to slowest)…provided you can cover the distance we really aren’t that bothered. This holiday offers longer distances, of around 1.5-2km per swim. We have ample team members on water safety and we can split the group, if needs be. Again, we know west Cornwall very well. Great potential for lots of beach swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JUNE 29 - Our 10K Day swimming event. 4 swims, over 1 day, totalling 10km. This event will be based in the St Mawes - Roseland area. Numbers on this event are limited to 50. Although some are welcome to race the routes, it is really more of a challenge, than an event. We’ve stripped back the t-shirts and freebees normally associated with this sort of event and simply kept the price down. Great opportunity for beach and river swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JULY 2-4 - slow swimming midweek holiday, based around the Penzance area. Like the other slow swim holidays, we’ll pick nice flat and safe routes over a shorter distance (250m -1km). We’ll try and keep this one centred around Penzance, if the conditions allow. Some amazing beaches in the area for fantastic swims. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JULY 5-7 - Standard weekend swimming holiday, based in St Ives / Penzance. By standard pace you’d be looking at the middle lane of a public swimming session (from fastest to slowest)…provided you can cover the distance we really aren’t that bothered. This holiday offers longer distances, of around 1.5-2km per swim. We’ll try to include some delightful swims, in the St Ives area…as well as some around Penzance. All swims will be launching from beautiful beaches. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JULY 12-14 - slow-to-medium pace swimming holiday, in St Austell. This is a flexible speed/distance holiday that allows the participants to explore St Austell Bay. Swimmers have to be able to cover around 500m per swim at their own pace. We’ll have multiple personnel on water safety, so we can subdivide into smaller groups. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

JULY - AUG - we have a selection of one-off swims throughout July and Aug (pace requirements included on the link)…as well as additional dates to come. CLICK HERE for calendar.

SEPT 6-8 - easily one of our most popular weekend swimming holidays. We restrict numbers (15) on this one and it’s a slightly more intimate holiday. The Lizard Peninsula has dozens of fabulous swims on offer, including both beach and river options and the water is a great temp this time of year. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

SEPT 27-29 - Our most affordable swimming holiday. Set on the weekend, in the St Mawes / Roseland area. At the end of Sept the water is nice and warm. The holiday is set in an area that offers great protection from the wind and you have dozen and dozens of river and sea swimming options. Previous footage - CLICK HERE. More info - CLICK HERE.

Slow Swimming Holiday - Case Study, 2023

2023 was the first year that we offered ‘slow swimming’ holidays and they were extremely popular. One of the holidays fully booked and had a waiting list of 18 people! So obviously, we’ve added lots of additional ‘slow swimming’ activities to our annual calendar.

In this blog post we’ll take a look at two of these hol’s and talk you through all the details. I thought this would be particularly relevant and of interest to anyone that’s never been on a swimming holiday, worries about their pace in regards to group swimming and anyone that simply wants more info. We’ll look at distances, locations, access, staffing, pace…

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HOLIDAY 1 : a midweek ‘slow swimming’ holiday, based in west Cornwall, June 13-15. Price £129. Group size was 24, with 3 on water safety (43 seasons of beach lifeguarding/water safety experience between us)…as the forecast was perfect. If it had been slightly more challenging, we would have had 4 on water safety. We’d suggested staying at Tremorvu Campsite but obviously you could have stayed wherever you like.

Swim 1 - Perranuthnoe. Tues, at 3.45pm. Not that well known by tourists but a beautiful beach, with a stunning beach side cafe. After parking, the group strolled up the coastal path on a 500m walk and then down the track to a very quiet, secluded beach. With 3 members of staff on water safety the group soon split up with around 8 people doing a supervised shorter route (approx 400-500m), a number of these swimmers did head-up breaststroke. The other group went on to complete around 1.7km. Both groups swam around a great circular cave route, the ‘distance’ group then went on to navigate some very interesting channels, cut into some flat rock.

Swim 2 - Porthcurno. Weds, at 9.45am. Straight walk from the car park and down the beach, around 400m. On this swim we had a better idea of the group and offered 2 options. Around 10 of the swimmers chose the shorter route out to the Minack Theatre, for a ‘seaside’ view and back to the beach (approx 400m). The second group headed over to Logan Rock and back, around 1.8km, although a few turned back early (approx 1.4km). This for many, was followed by the ‘essentials’…coffee and cake at the cafe, some had lunch.

Swim 3 - Nanjizal. Weds, around 3.30pm. This swim is an absolute beauty that we rarely offer, as the conditions have to be perfect. It’s a straight forward coastal path and a good 20-25 minute walk to the beach, from the car. Here, we swam through ‘Zawn Pyg’ or the ‘Song of the Sea’ cave. Absolutely stunning, world class swim. The route through the cave is around 400-500m. Some of the swimmers enjoyed it so much that they did it twice. A number of the group also swam across the bay…so totalled around 1.3km.

Dinner - we had a delightful and social group dinner at 45 Queen St on the Weds evening.

Swim 4 - 3 Bears Caves Swim. Thurs, 10am. Access to this swim is a little trickier. A 400m walk down a fairly steep coastal path and then a careful bum shuffle down some rocks at the bottom, which all the group comfortably managed. We then had a great swim into 3 caves. All of the group completed the swim at their own pace, around 800m. Some then added some distance, with a swim across the beach - total 1.4km.

Swim 5 - Porthleven. Thurs, at around 2.30pm. A few of the group opted out, as they were tired but came down and did some sun bathing on the quay. Some also jumped off the harbour wall! A leisurely swim out from the harbour, around the reef and back in, on a slack tide. Very easy access along the quay/road. Swim distance approx 1-1.4km. A few waited until the water safety team were back and swam a much shorter route in the harbour.

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TOTALS - walking of around 9km and swimming of around 3km-7.5km depending on which route you opted for. Some swam head-up breaststroke, some front crawl and some completed a mixture of the two. One swimmer also opted out of 2 swims…so swam around 1.5-2km.

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HOLIDAY 2 - St Mawes / Roseland Peninsula weekend ‘slow-to-medium pace’ swimming holiday. Sept 29 - Oct 1. Price £119 (only 4 swims on this weekend, standard is 5). Group size - 15. 3 on water safety (approx 43 seasons of beach lifeguarding/water safety experience between us). Over the weekend we had sun, a little wind and overcast conditions. We’d suggested staying at Treloan Campsite but participants were free to make their own arrangements.

Swim 1 - St Just-in-Roseland tidal pool / harbour. This is a stunning swim, that requires the right sized tide. We picked one of the biggest tides of the year and put on a swim, that included part of the sunset. 200m walk to the entry point. Swim length was 400 - 1.5km depending on the swim. A few head-up breaststrokers turned back early, with a member of the team.

Swim 2 - St Anthony’s Lighthouse. This required some work on our part, as the forecast changed. We spoke to the group and they were all happy to walk approx 3km to a breathtaking beach, around the corner from St Anthony’s Lighthouse. There we swam approx 1-1.5km up the Percuil River. A few swimmers swam and chatted their way around 400m of the route. Again, we split the water safety team and covered all of the swimmers.

Swim 3 - Porthcurnick. We stopped at the Hidden Hut at Porthcurnick for lunch. A great spot for refreshments. The wind had picked up (as predicted) and made the second swim slightly challenging. After careful planning we all walked over to Portscatho and used the headland for shelter. Whilst it was nice and sheltered in the bay, it got slightly rougher towards the point, which some swimmers quite enjoyed. Half the group stayed in the bay and some swam out to the point. Most of the swimmers climbed onto the swimming pontoon and jumped/dived off. Swim distance 400m - 1km. 500m worth of walking.

Swim 4 - St Mawes Beach. A straight forward swim up the Percuil River, from the beach in St Mawes. After a 200m walk from the car park, you pop down the stairs and you’re on the beach. We swam up the river. Some of the group opted for a 500m swim, while others pushed on and covered around 1.5km. We all ended up in Da Bara Cafe straight after!

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TOTALS - around 8km of walking, with 1.9km - 6km of swimming activity. Some swam head-up breaststroke and chatted (a lot!), some front crawl and some completed a mixture of the two.

OUR BIGGEST HURDLE

We attract swimmers from far and wide. We’ve had clients from Scotland (taking advantage of Cornwall Airport, Newquay), Manchester, swimmers from Holland, a lady from south Australia…all over the place. As well as accommodating people from various areas of the country and the world, we also accommodate swimmers of varying abilities, experience and speeds. This is also where one of our major hurdles lies.

On a fairly frequent basis we receive emails and phone calls from clients that have booked and are looking to book, regarding the anxiety they are experiencing over swimming in the sea and their suitability to the activity they have booked. This year we have introduced a ‘slow swimming’ holiday and it’s booked up 2-3 times faster than our standard holidays…and I’ll be shocked if half the people that attend the ‘slow swimming’ holiday aren’t perfectly suited to the ‘standard’ version of our swimming holidays.

So…firstly, we’re not really concerned about the pace that people swim. What we are interested in is whether or not you can swim the distances set out in the holiday/event description. What we’ll also point out is that there is no requirement to complete all of the swims over the course of the holiday/event day. Provided you let us know prior to swim starting, there’s obviously no problem with you sitting a swim out. What we’re are also happy to do is put on a shorter distance swim immediately after the scheduled swim finishes. We adopt a very flexible approach.

Secondly, we base all of our swims on the days conditions. So we never approach a swim day (unless it’s a one-off private booking), with a set swim location or series of swim locations. That way, you swim in the safest conditions possible…for both your own safety and enjoyment and there’s no pressure on us to hold a swim in questionable conditions!

Third and final point, as I’ve already mentioned, we approach all of our activities in a flexible manner. If for example, we had a couple of slower swimmers in the group, we simply split up our water safety team and one of the team would hang back.

If you have any questions regarding swim holidays or swimming events feel free to get in touch.

The Perfect Swim - St Michael's Mount

In theory Sept/October is the perfect month to swim in Cornwall. The water is still warm and the crowds have dispersed (a little). The Cornish locals love this time of year. The only issue of course, being the weather! This time of year has the potential to be outstanding but all it takes is a storm or two to roll in and it’s all over.

I had a standard email from a lady wanting to swim around St Michael’s Mount in Oct this year (2021). Forecast looked very good for the Thursday, so I booked it in.

Turning up was a treat. Car park quite empty, which had not happened all summer. The wins was light northerly and the sun was shining. In the water was around 16.5 degrees.

This turned out to be one of the best swims around the Mount we’ve done. The water was crystal clear and glassy. You could see underwater without changing the angle of your head. The water is rarely so still and clear that you can look forward and see rocks and seaweed almost seamlessly merging into the over-water landscape.

The lady swimming told me at the end that it was “the most beautiful swim I’ve ever done”…I wasn’t in the least bit surprised.

Choose your swimming holiday / activity

We have a range of swims, events and activities, for a range of abilities. This blog post will hopefully help you to decide which option best suits you. I’ll break your options down into what you might swim regularly in terms of distances and speed and your experience level and look at what might be suitable. We’ll start at 1 (which would be a complete beginner) up to 5 (more advanced swimmers).

1.BEGINNER / NOVICE

Just started swimming, possibly don’t swim front crawl or lacking confidence, definitely in need of some coaching…

LOOK AT : 1-2-1 coaching or small group coaching (with some friends), we also run beach safety courses/rip current awareness…

2. SLOW SWIMMING / SHORTER DISTANCES

Maybe looking to swim further and improve technique. May also want to look at small scale swimming events or take on longer swims safely…

LOOK AT : 1-2-1 coaching or small group coaching (with some friends) & we also run beach safety courses/rip current awareness. Take a look at our Swimfari Events - a non-competitive day of swimming, with multiple swims, based on the days conditions. Ideal as a social day out, to gain experience and fitness and ultimately have a laugh.

Another option might be an assisted swim. We tow a SUP around a longer swim with us. This gives the swimmer the option to take regular breaks or catch a lift around sections of the swim. This option open up a whole new world of swimming options that weren’t possible ordinarily.

You may also consider a ‘wild’ swimming holiday. Chat to a member of staff before booking.

3. SLOW SWIMMING / LONGER DISTANCES

LOOK AT : 1-2-1 coaching or small group coaching (with some friends) & we also run beach safety courses/rip current awareness. Take a look at our Swimfari Events - a non-competitive day of swimming, with multiple swims, based on the days conditions. Ideal as a social day out, to gain experience and fitness and ultimately have a laugh.

People often get a little intimidated by swimming holidays. All of our swims are based on the conditions and the average pace of swimmer is generally around 2-2.30 mins per 100m over a distance swim (approx 20-25 mins per km). We obviously have slower and faster swimmers…but we either split the water safety/group up or swim as a group and the faster swimmers double back regularly.

We offer our unique ‘10k Day’ events, taking in 3-4 swims over the course of the day, that total….10km! We’ve stopped this type of event for 2020 (Covid fitness issues) but it will come back. The Swimfari Event follows the same format but with shorter distances.

We also have short-notice / weekend swims or privately book a swim.

4. PUBLIC SESSION MIDDLE LANE SWIMMERS (APPROX)…

You may still look at coaching or water safety courses.

You’ll definitely need to look at Swimming Holidays, all of our events, as well as our one-off swims and private bookings. As well as set-date swimming holidays we also take private group booking swimming holidays (tailoring the holiday to the group), generally starting with as few as 4 people in the group.

5. MIDDLE - FAST LANE PUBLIC SESSION SWIMMER

You’ll definitely need to look at Swimming Holidays, all of our events, as well as our one-off swims and private bookings. As well as set-date swimming holidays we also take private group booking swimming holidays (tailoring the holiday to the group), generally starting with as few as 4 people in the group.

We also cover longer distance swim (up to 10km) private bookings. Either individuals or we’ll take small groups (provided they stay as a group through the swim)….as well as body surfing tuition.

SWIMMING ST JUST-IN-ROSELAND

Jo - the sailor and river expert of the team, had been telling me about this little harbour near St Mawes for ages. A few years ago, whilst we went sailing with Jo he pulled up nearby and we rowed over to a nearby beach. We then walked along the coastal path to St Just-in-Roseland harbour. Whilst on the walk I wore my speedos and flip flops, opting to carrying my wetsuit. It was a Sunday and I got some very funny looks as I strutted past the church…that just happened to have finished it’s Sunday activities and…of course, all of the attendees left the church to be confronted by a young(ish) man, in a very colourful pair of speedos and his flip-flops! What a treat for all concerned!

Anyway, we’ve since taken a few groups here and they’ve all fallen in love with the place. You have to make sure that you get the tides right, or you’ll be dragging yourself through the mud flats. Stunning area and a stunning swim. This will be the start of our St Mawes Swimfari 2021.

Why book a swimming holiday in the UK?

When we set up our swimming holidays business we looked at what was currently available. Options in the UK were limited…options in Cornwall were definitely limited! A number of holidays out there were focussed on swims abroad. All of the research around swimming holidays and the types of people that took them suggested that participants were professional high earners.

Living in Cornwall we were a little shocked that there wasn’t much going on - in terms of swim holidays. You obviously don’t get the warmer waters that you do abroad and the weather is a little less consistent but….

We have all the ingredients you could ever want for a world class swimming holiday. We have : white sandy beaches, shingle beaches, rock beaches, pebbles, shear Granite cliffs, amazing arches, rock features, caves, flat waters, calm waters, sheltered waters, surf, swell, rivers, estuaries, crystal clear waters, forests of Kelp and seaweed… If you look at the areas of Cornwall individually they all have their distinctive, unique features :

West Cornwall : beautiful Granite features, large cliffs and dramatic coastlines, quiet, secluded beaches and coves

North Cornwall : hundreds of sandy beaches, surf, lots of holiday attractions

East Cornwall : higher end accommodation, flat grassland, flat-calm beaches, rivers and estuaries…lots of areas that are more remote but nice and quiet

We decided to set up more affordable and accessible holidays, that were typically 3-days in length (meaning you may only have to take 1 day off work), were flexible in the swim locations that we offer (meaning they are safer and more enjoyable as they’re swum in the ideal conditions) and didn’t cost an arm and a leg to take part in. Sure, there’s a chance it might rain all week but, at under half the price of some of our rivals, you can always come back!

Our swims typically run parallel to the coastline, with multiple exit points. They also vary in length, depending on our clientele. If you don’t think you’re fit enough for a holiday, check out our ‘assisted swims’ page.

Swimming in Penzance

Tom lives on the outskirts of Penzance, so knows the area really well….and what an area! In terms of swims you’re spoilt for choice. In the immediate area you have Penzance sea front which is best at high tide, the Battery Rocks being a particularly popular area. Along the same stretch you have the famous Jubilee Lido and Penzance harbour - which offers great sheltered conditions at high tide.

The highlights of the Penzance area are St Michael’s Mount (you need to swim this in the right conditions), Mousehole Harbour and Island, there are some wonderful cave swims on the outer Penzance area (but the area is my favourite and I’m not telling!). A little further out you have Porthcurno, Penberth Cove, Lamorna Cove….all stunning.

The issue with Penzance, much like St Ives is the fact that pretty much all face south. If you have chop and wind coming in from the south you’ll struggle for a local swim. You do have St Ives just up the road though, that is north facing.

Image from www.saltwaterimages.com

Swimming in St Ives

St Ives offers some fantastic swims in the local area and a great holiday destination, where a car isn’t really required and open water swims are in easy walking distance.

Most of the beaches and swims in St Ives face north / north east. If you have any wind, with a reasonable strength you may be out of luck when it comes to swimming. Anything from the south however and you’re in luck. It’s useful to point out, at this stage that the coast around Penzance mainly faces south….so a northerly wind isn’t the end of the world! Penzance is also easily reachable from St Ives, on train or bus.

In the main town Porthmeor beach is better known for its surfing. If it’s flat, Porthmeor offers a really nice swim…either wild dip or a more lengthy swim. Swimming around the ‘Island’ is a fantastic experience but I’d exercise caution. You’d need to attempt this is really flat, calm conditions and I definitely wouldn’t attempt it by yourself. Taking water safety / a guide would be your best bet.

Porthgwidden Beach is a lesser known beach in St Ives and offers stunning swims. It suits shorter swim routes or a wild swim.

The harbour itself offers sheltered conditions but you’d obviously have to be careful of harbour traffic. You could only really swim in the harbour towards high tide.

Porthminster Beach also offers beautiful swims into the harbour and around the corner to Carbis Bay. Again, exercise caution if you decide to swim around to Carbis and assess the conditions before you swim.

Carbis Bay is my favourite. You don’t have to drive into St Ives itself to access the beach and there’s ample parking in the car park (on the hill) and it’s on the train route. From Carbis you can swim at the beach itself, swim around towards St Ives or the other way to Porthkidney (towards high tide).

If you’re a swim fan, St Ives is a must visit. With all swims obviously make sure you take all the necessary safety precautions.

Assisted swims in Cornwall

During the summer we often took out 2 rescue boards per paddler (water safety member), so we attached one board to the other using a leash. This was a Covid measure….so that if someone had stitch, cramp, had some sort of issue they could clamber onto the extra board without having to come into close contact with any of the rescue crew. This was a very good system (not that anyone actually needed it) and it also got Tom and Jo thinking.

We’ve had lots of enquiries, had a few nervous swimmers….there are lots of swimmers out there that want to complete various A to B swims but are nervous about the conditions and distance. So they miss out. We’d like to be as inclusive as possible but we’re also realistic - and have to be from a safety point of view.

So as of the 2021 season we’re offering a new service. We’ll offer people the opportunity to complete various swims that may not generally be open to them….because of their fitness, confidence, a disability….whatever the reason.

We’ll take swimmers on 1-2-1 swims around places like St Michael’s Mount and Kynance Cove using 2 rescue boards - which will be attached. The swimmer can pick-and-choose the sections of the swim that they complete and then hop onto the rescue board and get a tow around other sections…and a well deserved rest. This will ultimately allow the swimmer the experience of completing some world class, bucket-list worthy swims, without necessarily completing the entire distance. Opening up a whole new list of swims for lots of individuals.

If you are interested in this service simply contact us next summer and we’ll give you the full rundown.

Summer Summary

What a year! And it’s not over just yet…we have a few more swims up our sleeves and we’re also looking at winter, cold water activity. Although myself (Tom) and Jo have very low BMIs and we don’t always do well in the cold!!!

So we had to cancel all of our long weekend holidays, although we did put on a couple of private, bespoke group bookings. We ran a reduced capacity 10km event and held a large number of what we call ‘last minute swims’, coaching sessions, private group bookings, private swims and we have supported a number of individuals swim 10km distances.

OUR BIGGEST HITS :

• REMOTE SWIMS : we bought a new device mid-summer that can send out a GPS signal and an alert to the emergency services via satellites. This has meant that we have been able to host swims in more remote areas as we’re no longer reliant on VHF radio and mobile phones.

• ‘LAST MINUTE SWIMS’ : have been an outstanding success. After arranging, re-arranging, rescheduling, cancelling a high volume of swims early on, we flip the way we do things on it’s head. As well as taking booking dates we now look at the conditions on a Tuesday/Wednesday and publish our weekend swims (based on those conditions). We also do this for mid-week swims (peak season).

• KYNANCE COVE : we’ve wanted to hold this swim for a long time and it went perfectly. The conditions were read and predicted very accurately and it was a very popular swim, with fantastic feedback.

• CAVE SWIMS : these came about by chance but have been really well received. It’s something a little different, exciting and part of an already stunning swim route.

• NANJIZAL/SONG OF THE SEA : Nanjizal has always been one of my favourite places in the world. Famous for it’s natural sea pool at low tide. We swam this beauty at sunset and swam through the famous crack in the rocks!

• ST MICHAEL’S MOUNT : We’ve held a large number of swims around this stunning and famous landmark. Some in glassy-flat conditions. We’ll continue to hold these swims long term. Get that bucket list item ticked.

• PENBERTH COVE/LAMORNA COVE : We’ve added to our list of favourites and we’ll take the winter season to explore even more stunning swims.

• MINACK : although we’ve offered swims to Logan Rock for some time for some odd reason we’ve never gone the ‘other way’ and had a good look at the Minack Theatre. We’ve remedied this little issue. Now adding the theatre to our Logan Rock swim.

• CHARITY SWIM : we swam 22km (over 22 beaches) and managed to purchase a wheelchair for the Jubilee Pool. We also discovered some (more) stunning swims - Mother Ivey’s Bay was one of our favourites.

• PETITION : So after some near misses in Penzance we launched our own petition, asking the Government to bring in legislation and update current laws. Recently the petition reached 27,000 signatures…we still have some way to go, however.

• ONLINE SHOP : during lockdown we finally had the time to launch our online shop properly. We’re really happy with it’s progress and have produced a range of products - like Calendars, pocket make-up mirrors, resistance swimming cords, greetings cards, bags, tide clocks, tow floats…. we’re constantly adding to the range.

2020 Charity Swim - 22km of Cornish waters

We went and did it again. Another year, another crazy charity challenge.

Tom’s grandma (in-law) is 92 and her health hasn’t been great of late. When trying to find an aquatic wheelchair to borrow to get her into the geothermal section of the Jubilee Pool we really couldn’t find anything. This inspired Tom to dedicate this years challenge to Joyce Cooper. The Jubilee Pool also very generously agreed to let her be the first person to use this new section of a world class lido.

We set ourself the goal of raising £2,500. We didn’t quite make that total but we did reach £2,000 and bought one of our preferred chairs.

THE CHALLENGE : we wanted to show off Cornwall a bit, take in lots of glorious swims and rack up a decent distance. So Tom devised the 1km challenge. We set out to swim 1km on as many beaches in Cornwall as we could, in 1 day. We managed 22 beaches, in the daylight of 1 day. We could have possibly completed more but Tom’s left arm stopped working (it’s still swollen 5 days later) and Jo’s just plain old!

We thoroughly enjoyed the day. Absolutely didn’t train up for the challenge (again!), made what we think is a great video, explored some new beaches and some how only paid £4.50 in car park charges!

HIGHLIGHTS : swimming at Mother Ivey’s Bay, Whipsiddery beach to Porth Beach, always Crantock and the video. We’re really happy with the video.

Bucket List Swimming in perfect conditions

Having taken a few bookings for St Michael’s Mount swims that I’ve had to reschedule and cancel I figured we might be doing things the wrong way around. At which point I had a brain-wave.

We’re going to look at the week’s conditions on a Tues-Wed and then put on swims that weekend based on the conditions. This will mean that we can plan swims around St Michael’s Mount, Porthcurno, the ‘Island’ in St Ives, Mousehole Island etc with real confidence that the conditions will be ideal for that swim.

This will effectively mean that you can complete a world-class, bucket list swim in the ideal conditions!

We’ll arrange time slots for that weekend that you can book. Each slot will cost £100 and you can have up to 8 people (6 in some cases) per slot…meaning some swims will cost as little as £12.50 per head. With current Covid restrictions, if you arrange a group of 6-8 we’ll simply split you into 2 smaller groups. * If you’re an individual or couple without a group let us know and we’ll try and marry you up with a few people in the same situation so the swim is affordable.

We’ll also possibly look at evening swim in the week.

WE’LL ANNOUNCE SWIMS THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS - SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED

Another for the Bucket List

This is definitely one for the bucket list. Bear in mind you have to swim it in the right conditions…and being an island it doesn’t always happen that frequently…as you’ll get a bit of chop regardless of which way the wind is blowing. That said, you don’t have to swim around the island. You can always take the sensible option and use the island to shield you, whilst swimming up the side and back. A great plan B!

Anyway…St Michael’s Mount. Apparently the most popular destination for people to get engaged.

Image courtesy of www.saltwaterimages.co.uk

A private group that swam out to the Mount from Long Rock, in June.

A private swimming holiday group from July 2018

Our safe open water swimming guide for St Michael’s Mount.

Sea Swim Cornwall's Safe Swimming Guide - St Just-in-Roseland

This one is an absolute stunner! A little remote and slightly tricky to find but well worth the effort. The tiny harbour at St Just-in-Roseland offers one of the most stunning starts and finishes to a swim that you could imagine! Finishing in a quaint little harbour, in the shadow of a stunning church and gardens. I’d go as far as to say that this could be a bucket-lister.