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

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.