Selection of safe Swimming Guides
/If you’re looking for swim-spiration for the 2022 summer here it is! I’ve selected a few safe swimming guides.
Planning a swimming trip / holiday in Cornwall
/Cornwall is packed full of world class open water swimming options. In the wrong conditions however, these can be unpleasant (at best) and sometimes quite dangerous. If you want to get the most out of your swims you’ll need to do your research and give yourself plenty of options. You’ll need to consider the following points :
LOCATION : as picturesque as some areas are you need to pick a location that offers swims facing at least two different directions ie. west and east. If you picked Newquay as your destination, for example, a strong westerly wind and/or swell pretty much rules out any local swims! This is the exact reason we based a lot of our swimming activity in Penzance and the Lizard…lots of options.
BE PREPARED TO TRAVEL : getting away from the wind and swell may require travel. If you’re planning to swim summer season, this in turn may also require planning…as you may need to park up early (in the popular spots) and get the tides right.
RESEARCH : do you research. We offer safe swimming guides to a number of our blog posts. Talk to local swimming groups, look up articles specific to your swim, speak to local lifeguards…Don’t just turn up and swim.
CONDITIONS : Look up the conditions for the swim as late as possible, so that the forecast is as accurate as possible. Ideally you want a light off-shore wind. Always best swimming on a neap tide and avoid the first hour after high tide…particularly on a Spring tide.
SWIM IN NUMBERS. Contact local open water / wild swimmers that may want to join you. Try and find swimmers of roughly the same fitness levels / pace. Fairly easy contacting swimmers through social media.
GUIDED SWIMS. Find a local professional swim guide. You don’t need to do this for all of your swims but if you want to get adventurous or go off-grid, this is definitely advisable.
RESCUE EQUIPMENT. Get yourself a tow float that allows you to take a mobile. Well worth getting a waterproof phone pouch also. Just be aware that you won’t always get phone reception!
PLAN YOUR SWIM ROUTE. Most people get in real trouble because they PANIC. Plan your swim route. Try and figure out multiple exit points. Think ‘worse case scenario’….and how you’ve navigate these situations.
RIVERS. Cornwall has a phenomenal coastline but it also has a number of beautiful rivers. If you can’t get in the sea, head a little inland.
Most of all though…have a great time!
Swimming at Charlestown, St Austell.
/Walking down to Charlestown Harbour is like walking into a film set…possibly because it is used as a film set! The site has been used on the BBCs recent adaptation of Poldark and Doctor Who, as well as Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland….and a number of other titles.
Charlestown is a UNESCO world heritage site and it’s a little like stepping back in time when you access certain areas of the harbour and won Tripadvisor’s ‘Travelers’ Choice Award’ for 2021.
For swimming Charlestown is ideal. It’s not great on a moderate to strong easterly wind…but we don’t get that many days (particularly in the summer) where the wind blows in that direction. Europe is also in the way for big swells to roll on in.
In terms of swims - you can swim from Charlestown to Carlyon Bay and back, swim Charlestown to Porthpeanand back or opt for a shorter swimming route from Charlestown to Duporth and back. Alternatively, you could swim one way and walk back across the coastal path.
Charlestown has quite a few spaces in local car parks, as well as lots of on-street parking. The local town has all of the facilities that you’d need for a swim or day out.
Swims are best accessed from the beaches either side of the harbour. The harbour is quiet in terms of traffic but you still get the odd boat travelling in or out… Take care.
Swimming Charlestown to Porthpean (& back) - approx 2.5-3km
Swimming Charlestown to Carlyon Bay (& back) - approx 2km
Swimming Charlestown to Duporth Beach (& back) - approx 1-1.5km
Swimming at Lizard Point
/I still haven’t done this swim! I’m going to tick this off my swim list this summer! Stunning dipping opportunity here, well worth the drive. Beware that this isn’t a very safe spot to swim. This area is very exposed to the elements and you can get a lot of water movement, in most tidal states.
Swimming in the Praa Sands area
/This is a really easy area to ‘sell’ but we do recommend swimming around the Praa Sands area with some caution. If it’s pan-flat conditions and the wind is light the area offers some stunning swims. The reason we’ve mentioned being cautious is simply because of the remote location of the swims. Swimming around some of these headlands offer very limited opportunities to passers-by to spot you, should you have any issues.
With either of the following swims - always swim in a pair or group…or even better, take someone along on water safety / get a guide. Both swims can easily be extended in length and offer a stunning swim, that’s a little off the beaten track.
Praa Sands does regularly get swell. However, in the peak of summer…when we’re (potentially!) surrounded by high pressures the swell often subsides and we get nice flat, calm conditions.
Here are 2 guides to a couple of swims in the Praa Sands area.
Safe Swimming in surf and on the beach
/Whilst having a chat with the Sea Swim Cornwall team (including our part-timers) we realised that we have over 50 seasons of beach lifeguarding experience between us! Mainly in Cornwall but also seasons spent in Australia, India and a few other locations!
From here we decided to put together a straight forward open water swimming safety guide. In it we dispel some common myths people have around sea swimming, we look at rip currents, how to spot rip currents, how to swim out of a rip current, reading the sea and conditions…
We’ve priced our safe swimming guide at just 49p (with any other purchase) or you can buy a multi-pack…for yourself, family and friends. It is a lightweight guide, so we would recommend either laminating it or sticking it in a waterproof bag and then leaving it in your kit bag.
The guide obviously won’t guarantee your safety but there are lots of common sense suggestions and advice that should keep you out of trouble! Available for purchase or given out on our beach water safety courses, which we’re rolling out in April. Either book individually or as a private group.
Safe Swimming Guide - Gannel Estuary
/Whilst this is a safe guide to swimming the Gannel Estuary please remember that it is only a guide. There are no guarantees to safety, when open water swimming. If unsure or not very experienced either take a guide / water safety or don’t attempt the swim.
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.
Swimming Mother Ivey's Bay
/A new one for Tom and I can’t quite believe that I’ve never swum here before. Mother Ivey’s Bay was stunning and easily one of my favourite beaches during our charity challenge (and we swam 22 of them so it’s quite the compliment!). We swam it in the perfect conditions and stood on the lifeboat slipway…which is a must!
Avoid the rocks at the end of the point (visible in the middle of the shot below). You can get some weird water movement around and through the rocks.