We swam two route here, as part of our 2020 Charity swim. If you get the conditions right and plan this swim it should be perfectly safe. Don’t turn up and simply try and swim it! At certain stages of the tide, particularly with a large outgoing tide you get a lot of water movement. If you are going to attempt it, follow the safety advice on the guide and be careful.
NEW : we’re still unsure about events for 2022. With the constant threat of new variants and possible future lockdowns we’re going to leave it til a little later… The likelihood being we’ll put on one event. What we are doing is the following : we’re running summer long events, starting in April and running through til Oct/early Nov. We’re running handicapped events, that give time advantages based on your gender and age. This format allows you to swim a particular route at a time of your choosing, either by yourself or as a small group. It allows most entrants a good chance of posting a competitive time, regardless of your age or gender. There will be an overall winner at the end of the summer that will win a cash prize. So far, we have Carbis Bay as a confirmed route and we’ll add an additional route at a later date. MORE INFO CLICK HERE.
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE : We’ll be offering a monthly subscription (4 weeks at a time), on tried and tested routes in the west of Cornwall. Typically on a Saturday morning but the odd swim may take place on a Friday evening or Sunday morning (if we’re not available on the Saturday). Provided we have good numbers we’ll also contact local businesses near the swim route and arrange some coffee and cake deals post-swim. FOR MORE INFO.
SSC MEMBERSHIP : CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS. So....this year we've made a few changes to our annual membership. We'll simply list the perks below.
First option on all of our short-notice or planned weekend/midweek swims
Minimum of 10% off our short-notice swims - typically 25%
First option on events and 10% off
Occasional exclusive discounts on merchandise
First discounted option on any swimming holiday places that aren't booked up
We'll also invite you to bring a friend (at same reduced rate) on some swims
Discounted coaching sessions
*If we work on a collaboration with another partner we may not be able to offer discounts on these events ie. working with a pool provider
Generally - you'll be the first to hear about swims, events and holidays and have a head start on booking these, at a discounted rate.
SWIMMING HOLIDAYS : We simply require a £50 reservation fee for any of our holidays. We’re offering them the whole way through the summer. We try and make these holidays as inclusive as possible. If unsure of your suitability simply call us. As well as offering the same winning long weekend formula we’ve also added a wild swimming holiday / vineyard tour and a Lizard Peninsula camping trip. Some of these holidays are almost fully booked, others have good availability (generally down to when we published the holidays info & booking). Holidays generally cost anywhere from £160-250 for the weekend (Fri-Sun).
COACHING & WATER SAFETY COURSES : We’ll continue to offer the same high standard of coaching and water safety awareness courses through 2022. You can either book a voucher or book a slot. We typically start in April and finish early Nov.
This event was a result of a late night brain storming session. Sea Swim Cornwall wanted to come up with a shorter, safer event specifically aimed at slower swimmers, swimming newbies, the head up breaststrokers, the less competitive swimmer, people that don’t like the mass starts and aren’t a fan of the more formal and competitive swimming events.
We set a rough geographical area for the swims and then wait until 2-3 days before the event day. We’ll then email the participants after looking at a short range, fairly accurate forecast of the conditions. This allows us to offer enjoyable swims, in the most favourable and safe conditions.
The Swimfari events typically consist of 3-5 swims over the course of the morning and afternoon. Each swim is approx 500 - 1200m in length. The exact distance is up to you, as is whether or not you take part in all of the swims. We have a number of water safety crew spread out across the swim length, so it’s very easy to turn back early if you’d like.
The St Mawes Swimfari this year was a real hit. We planned the whole event around having a spring high tide at the St Just-in-Roseland pool / harbour. A swim that never disappoints. You walk down through the subtropical Church garden to the banks of the harbour. From there you have a sheltered swim, in the shadow of the Church and gardens. Most swam out through the harbour and onto the river. This year we had a little morning mist, which made the swim a little more dramatic than usual but no less spectacular. From there we put on 3 magical swims, all based around St Mawes Castle and St Mawes itself. The feedback from the event has been great and we’ll look to plan a 10km swim around the same area in 2022 (broken into 2 x 5km swims).
Get the conditions right and you’ll be talking about this swim for years to come!
A stunning beach but there is a bit of a climb down steep steps. It’s also quite remote, so don’t swim alone or possibly avoid if you have any serious or regular medical issues.
For more info click the link below :
https://www.visitcornwall.com/beaches/toilets-nearby/north-coast/newquay/bedruthan-steps-beach
Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall
As much as we try and explore new waters, make every holiday different, constantly keep pushing to make our swimming holidays exciting and new there are certain swims we’ll come back to time and time again. Even if we know some of our swimmers have done this swim before we’ll do it again!
Mousehole Harbour is one of those swims. You get it on the right day there are few swims that will beat it. Crystal clear waters, stunning backdrop, minimal boat traffic, you swim through the dramatic harbour mouth…we love it! You have the option of swimming around Mousehole Island (St Clement’s Isle). Well, well worth a visit.
Our open water swimming guide to Mousehole.
A very cool Gin bar in Penzance at the minute. That cool in fact, that I can't find any trace of it online. You find the Sea Swim Cornwall logo on the map and you'll find the bar.
We run a number of holidays and events throughout the year. We try to be as inclusive as we possibly can but try as we might, not all of our activities will suit all abilities. Here’s a run down of what you’ll need to know.
YEAR ROUND WILD SWIMMER
If you’re less about the Ks and more about your year round swimming days then the Porthleven Food Festival and swimming weekend looks like it’s the trip for you. It’s our favourite food festival of the year. Set in the stunning Porthleven Harbour and attracting around 40,000 people every year, it’s a fantastic weekend. As the water is a little colder we’d recommend this trip to the hardcore year round swimmer. The distances will be a little shorter and we’ll also explore some of the hidden rock and natural pools the west coast of Cornwall has to offer. APRIL 17-19 2020, currently open to small - large group bookings.
MIDDLE-OF-THE-PACKERS TO YOUR MORE COMPETITIVE SWIMMERS
The 10K Big River Day might be the afternoon out you’ve been looking for. It’s a stunning swim up the river Fal in crystal clear waters. You’ll receive a little boost from the incoming tide from St Mawes up to St Just in Roseland…finishing at one of the most stunning harbours we’ve ever seen. At the harbour you’ll have a refreshments break (plenty of fluids and cake) before returning back along the same route with the outgoing tide. *There are swimming speed requirements on this event. Check before booking.
OUR ALL-INCLUSIVE EVENT
We try to be as inclusive as possible with this event but you have to have a realistic chance of swimming 10km over the course of one day…it’s the 10K Magical Mystery Tour. Set up as more of a challenge than a race, you’ll look to swim 10km over 4 swims. The challenge takes place over the course of around 8-10 hours. We also put on a coach to ensure it’s a nice and social event. Swims may include St Michael’s Mount, Porthcurno, Mousehole, Penzance bay, Carbis Bay and St Ives… During the latter stages we also arrange shorter routes for those that may be struggling.
ALL-INCLUSIVE HOLIDAYS
Again, we try and make our holidays as all-inclusive as possible. The reality is that you need to be able to comfortably swim 1-3km in one go. We can make exceptions but you need to call us before booking. These holidays and the swims are based on the conditions of the day. We pick the most enjoyable and safe swims as we can. We are swimming in the sea but you’ll never be expected to swim through surf or rough conditions! This year we’ve lined up all of your holiday dates with local festivals so you have double the reason to attend.
ST IVES FOOD FESTIVAL : set on the beach and including great live entertainment it’s a great holiday
GOLOWAN FESTIVAL : is a massive festival put on each year in Penzance. They shut the towns roads down and turn the who thing into a pedestrian-bar. There are precessions and live music and dance throughout the whole weekend, as well as craft fayres and food stalls.
DESIGN YOUR OWN
If any of the above doesn’t suit simply contact us and design your own trip or swim. We offer open water coaching and bespoke swims, days and holidays.
After a fantastically successful swimming holiday in St Mawes / River Fal we thought we’d start sharing some of the swims…and there are so many!
First off the docks is Porthcurnick Beach to Portscatho and back, although you could get out at Portscatho harbour and walk back. Approx 2km.
We’d like to thank everyone that turned up to our first body surfing world record attempt. We had well over 60 people turn up and had great weather and swell for body surfing…even if the water was a tad chilly.
We attempted to get 25+ people body surfing the same wave, for 5 seconds or more.
Sadly, we only managed 14. Whilst around 35 people caught the busiest wave, around 10 held it the whole way to the beach, 4-5 held it for 5 seconds plus and the rest didn’t quite make the 5 seconds.
The attempt, although unsuccessful, has given us the info and experience we need to make a few practical and logistically changes and come back and comfortably break/set the record.
A massive thank you to everyone that took the time to attend. From what I’ve heard everyone had a great time. We’ll also look to add a post-attempt social to the event next year. This was something we had in place for the original date that we cancelled (due to a lack of surf).
The second some of us get out of the pool, into the open water and no longer have a thick black line to follow we struggle. There is a definite art to swimming ‘fairly’ straight. We’ll try our best in the following few points to get you on the right path.
BREATHE BOTH WAYS. If you were to breathe to your left every time, when your head comes up to breathe you roll your body that extra few inches. This means that you extend your right arm forward that extra inch or two. If you’re right handed you’re extending your dominant hand forward an extra inch or two. Doesn’t sound like much but that extra inch or two over and over again starts to make a difference and you generally start to via to the right. It’s like rowing a boat with one oar that’s slightly longer than the other.
SIGHTING : You’ve probably read a million and one articles about sighting. I won’t bore you further…other than to say, you don’t have to sight forward. I had a recent discussion with a swimmer about swimming into the sun. You can sight to the side, and use the beach or river bank provided it’s relatively straight. You can also use the depth your swimming in to a certain extent - provided you know the water and know the consistency of the bank / sea bed.
RUDDER SWIMMING (AKA THE ‘HEAD RUDDER’). I tend to drift the opposite way to the way I breath. To counter this I breath every 2 for 3 cycles, then every 3 for 1 cycle and every 2 again for 3 cycles…and repeat. This keeps me straight. Experiment a little with your breathing and see if it has an influence.
SIGHTING FREQUENCY. Everyone is different. Again, experiment a little and see what works for you.
DRAFTING. Draft off of someone’s feet and you don’t have to sight. Just make sure they’re swimming in a straight line!
Best of luck.
There are loads of local swimming groups to Penzance. It’d be well worth doing some research and contacting a couple before travelling down.
