Open Water Swimming

We swim all year round in dock 8. During our main summer season we run up to 3 sessions each week right through until the end of September where we reduce our sessions to two a week.

We then finish our season (end of October) off with a spooky Halloween Night Swim! After this, we run ‘Cold Water Swimming’ sessions every Sunday morning until the end of March/early April. 

Current Schedule:

• Tuesday: 5:00 – 8:00pm
• Thursday: 5.00 – 8:00pm
• Sunday: 9.30 – 11.45am

Our sessions are open to the general public, you do not need to be a member to join in but you do need to meet the below criteria and be able to book online.

Swimming ability

• You must be able to swim 300m of any stroke unaided, you don’t have to have the best technique, we run a relaxed swim, but you do need to be able to swim confidently due to the depth and temperature of the water.
  Minimum age is 12 years.
• 12-16-year-olds MUST swim with a competent adult (1 adult per 2 children in close proximity). The exception to this is if you can provide a signed letter from a swimming coach (i.e Squad ability) that the child is suitable to train in open water, then that child can swim without an adult, this needs to be agreed upon prior to the session and an adult must be ‘on-site’ at all times.
• Cold Water Swimming is more suited to experienced swimmers.

Physical fitness & health:

• To the best of your knowledge, you must be physically fit to participate in Open Water Swimming in Cold Water.
• You should only swim when you are feeling well.
• Avoid open water swimming if you have any open cuts/wounds.

Once checked in and issued a band, swimmers enter and exit the water via our slip way, this area can be slippy so please use the designated mats along each wall.

A member of staff is always over by the slip way so please do not hesitate to ask if you are unsure of the layout. We kindly ask for any newbies to speak to a member of our team before entering the water.

We have two loops available:

• 300m loop
• 500m loop (summer season only)

What to bring:

• Swim hat – Everyone needs to wear a brightly coloured swim hat – no black / dark
• TOW FLOAT COMPULSORY – Until we reach 14+ degrees (mid-May)
• Choice of swim attire (see below for wetsuit info)
• Goggles, nose clip, ear plugs if you need them
• Towel/bag for wet kit
• Shoes to walk to and from the centre, we also recommend wearing wetsocks/boots to protect your feet on the slipway/pontoons

Wetsuits & Wetsuit Hire

Wetsuits are optional but we do recommend them.

Swim Wetsuit Hire is available but is subject to first come first serve as there’s limited numbers of each size. If we do have one available, they are £10 to hire on site (Card). If we don’t have a swim wetsuit available, we can offer neoprene water-sports wetsuits for £4.

Damage to Swim Wetsuits – Please be careful when using our swim wetsuits and ensure they return in the same condition, any damage to our swim wetsuits may incur a charge.

• Open Water Swimming – £6.50
• Cold Water Swimming – £8.50

All bookings must be made in advance and online. We do not take any bookings on site.

You can access the live booking system by clicking ‘Book Now’ then Open Water Swimming.

If you are booking for multiple people, you will need their email address to ‘invite’ them to fill in their details. Once you have booked, please also ensure your group is aware that all participants must sign the disclaimer and fill in the question pack each time they book.

• Request a refund via Eola and notify the centre vat watersportscentre@scll.co.uk of your cancel request no later than 72 hours prior to your booking
• We are unable to manually transfer your session to another day
• We have a very small team and our time is spent mainly outside teaching, therefore we ask that you do not contact us via social media or emails requesting changes to sessions or cancellations. All requests need to be made through watersportscentre@scll.co.uk at least 72 days hours prior to your booked session
• We recommend that if you are unsure about committing to a swim, wait until the day to book. We will do our best to fit everyone in

• We offer both male and female changing rooms with showers, plus two accessible toilet/changing rooms with showers.
• We have a number of lockers inside the facility to store your belongings, the majority of our lockers take a £1 coin (returnable)

• We have a limited number of spaces available in our car park, on swim days the barrier will be up so just drive through. Please only park in designated spaces.
• If you are a paying customer at the Watersports Centre, you can park next door in the ‘Whitbread’ Car Park attached to the beefeater for free however, you will need to come to the Watersports Centre reception and scan a QR code to register your car for the session. This is free to use but you must register your car, failing to do so may result in a fine. We do not own this car park so we are not responsible for any fines if you do not register your car using the above method.

See our Open Water Swimming safety page for details.